-NRLF 


DEFENDING  THE  FORT. — Frontispiece. 


Boys  of  the  Fort. 


BOYS  OF  THE  FORT 

Or,  A  Young  Captain's  Pluck 


BY 


CAPTAIN  RALPH  BONEHILL 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  YOUNG  BANDMASTER,"    "WHEN  SANTIAGO 

FELL,"  "A  SAILOR  BOY  WITH  DEWEY,"  "  OFF 

FOR  HAWAII,"  ETC. 


GROSS ET     &     DUNLAP 

PUBLISfiERS         ::          ::         NEW   YORK 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR 

WITH      CUSTER      IN      THE       BLACK 
HILLS ; 
Or,  A  Young  Scout  among  the  Indians. 

BOYS    OF   THE    FORT; 

Or,  A  Young  Captain's  Pluck. 

THE   YOUNG    BANDMASTER; 
Or,  Concert  Stage  and  Battlefield. 

WHEN  SANTIAGO    FELL  ; 

Or,  The  War  Adventures  of  Two  Chums. 

A    SAILOR    BOY   WITH   DEWEY; 
Or,  Afloat  in  the  Philippines. 

OFF    FOR    HAWAII,; 

Or,  The  Mystery  of  a  Great  Volcano. 


,  finely  tlhistrated  and  bound  in  cloth. 
Price p,  per  volume,  60  cents. 


GROSSET  &   DUNLAP 

PUBLISHERS  NEW  YORK 


COPYRIGHT,  1901,  BY 
THB  MERSHON   COMPANY 


s*2 

rtM 

PREFACE.  ^^ 

"  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT  "  is  a  complete  story  in 
itself,  but  forms  the  fifth  volume  of  a  line  of  works 
issued  under  the  general  title  of  "  Flag  of  Free 
dom  Series." 

In  penning  this  tale  I  had  it  in  mind  to  acquaint 
my  young  readers  with  the  ins  and  outs  of  mili 
tary  life  at  one  of  our  Western  forts  of  to-day, 
showing  what  both  officers  and  privates  are  called 
upon  to  do,  and  what  troubles  the  Indians  and  the 
bad  men  of  that  locality  are  still  in  the  habit  of 
making.  The  field  is  one  about  which  little  has 
been  written,  although  abounding  in  interest,  and 
one  which  is  worthy  the  attention  of  all  who  have 
the  proper  development  of  our  country  at  heart. 

To  some,  certain  scenes  in  this  book  may  appeal- 
overdrawn,  yet  such  is  far  from  being  the  case. 
In  this  wild  territory  there  are  those  who  have 
lived  all  their  lives  beyond  the  pale  of  civilization, 
men  who  grow  up  dwarfed  and  crooked  in  mind, 
and  who  resent  every  effort  made  to  better  their 
condition. 

The  young  captain  is  a  fine  specimen  of  the 


M692888 


IV  PREFACE. 

wide-awake  American  army  officer,  yet  he  is  no 
more  brave  and  dashing  than  are  thousands  of 
others,  officers  and  privates,  who  serve  under  our 
Flag  of  Freedom.  He  is  trained  to  do  his  duty, 
and  he  simply  does  it,  regardless  of  possible  con 
sequences. 

Once  more  I  take  this  opportunity  to  thank  my 
young  friends  for  the  kindness  with  which  they 
have  received  my  former  stories,  and  I  earnestly 
hope  this  present  tale  merits  equal  commendation. 

CAPTAIN  RALPH  BONEHILL. 

Jtily  I,  1 901. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.     BOUND  FOR  THE  FORT i 

II.  CAVES  IN  THE  MOUNTAIN,        ....        9 

III.  AN  IMPORTANT  CONVERSATION,        *       .        .      17 

IV.  LOST  IN  THE  FOREST,       .        .        .        .        .      25 

V.  THE  BIG  BLACK  BEAR,     .        .        •        •        .      33 

VI.  DARRY  MAKES  A  DISCOVERY,  ....      41 

VII.  AT  HANK  LEESON'S  CABIN,              .        .        .48 

VIII.  THE  STEALING  OF  THE  HORSES,       ...      56 

IX.  ARRIVAL  AT  THE  FORT,     .        .        .        •        •      63 

X.  THE  RESULT  OF  A  SWIM,          .        .       *        .      7* 

XI.  SOMETHING  ABOUT  DRILLING,   .        .        .        .79 

XII,  DEER   HUNTING,        .        .        •        .        *        .87 

XIII.  A  FISH  AND  A  SNAKE, 95 

XIV.  OVER  THE  MOUNTAIN  TOP,       ....     104 
XV.  THE  RESULT  OF  A  HURRICANE,       .        .        .113 

XVI.  CAPTAIN  MOORE'S  ADVENTURE,        .        .        .     122 

XVII.  THREE  PRISONERS,     .        ...        .        ...     130 

XVIII.  BENSON  PUTS  SOME  MEN  IN  A  HOLE,      .        .     137 

XIX.  ESCAPING  IN  THE  DARKNESS,     .        .        .        .     144 

XX.  SOMETHING  ABOUT  WHITE  Ox,        •.        .        .     151 

XXI.     A  TRICK  OF  THE  ENEMY 158 

XXII.  IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY,      .        .        .166 

XXIII.    A  PANTHER  IN  CAMP, i?5 

v 


VI 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER 

XXIV.  THE  SKIRMISH  IN  THE  BRUSH, 

XXV.  A  LUCKY  MEETING,       .        . 

XXVI.  THE  ENEMIES  WITHIN  THE  FORT 

XXVII.  SIGNALS  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED, 

XXVIII.  THE  DEMANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY, 

XXIX.  OPENING  OF  THE  BATTLE, 

XXX.  SIGNALS  IN  THE  DARK, 

XXXI.  BURNING  OF  THE  STOCKADE, 

XXXII.  RELIEF  AT  LAST — CONCLUSION, 


PAGE 
182 
189 
198 
205 

212 
2I9 
226 
235 

243 


BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 


CHAPTER  I. 

BOUND    FOR    THE    FORT. 

"  How  many  miles  have  we  still  to  ride,  Ben 
son?" 

"  About  fifty,  Joe,  But  the  last  half  is  pretty 
much  uphill,  lad." 

"  Can  we  make  the  fort  by  to-morrow  night?  " 

"  Well,  we  can  try,"  answered  the  old  scout, 
who  sat  astride  of  a  coal-black  horse  and  rode 
slightly  in  advance  of  hist  two  youthful  com 
panions.  "  It  will  depend  somewhat  on  what  the 
weather  does." 

"  Why,  do  you  think  it  is  going  to  rain  ?  "  put 
in  Darry  Germain.  "  I'm  sure  it  looks  clear 
enough." 

"  Aint  no  telling  what  the  weather  will  do  in 
this  valley,"\  answered  Sam  Benson.  "  It  may 
stay  clear  for  a  week,  but  to  me  the  signs  don't 
exactly  p'int  that  way,"  and  he  shook  his  head 
gravely. 


2  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  A  little  rain  wouldn't  hurt;"  said  Joe  Moore. 
"  A  couple  of  miles  back  the  road  was  fearfully 
dusty/' 

"  The  trouble  is,  when  it  rains  out  here  it  rains." 
answered  the  old  scout.  "  The  clouds  come 
a-tumbling  over  yonder  mountains,  and  inside  of 
half  an  hour  you'd  fancy  the  water  was  going  to 
drown  out  everything." 

"  Then  if  it  rains  we'll  have  to  put  up  some 
where,"  said  Darry  Germain. 

"  Aint  no  cabin  on  this  trail  short  of  Hank  Lee- 
son's  place,  twenty  miles  this  side  of  the  fort.  If 
we  can  get  that  far  I  reckon  we  can  make  the 
fort." 

"  Then  where  will  we  stop  to-night  ?  "  asked 
Darry  with  interest. 

"  At  the  Star  Hotel — if  the  sky  is  clear,"  said 
Sam  Benson,  with  a  laugh  at  what  he  considered 
his  little  joke. 

"  You  mean  in  the  open,  under  the  stars !  "  cried 
the  boy;  and,  as  the  old  scout  nodded,  he  went  on : 
"  That  will  be  nice.  I've  been  wanting  to  camp 
out  in  regular  trapper  style  ever  since  we  left 
Riverton." 

"  So  have  I,"  put  in  Joe  Moore.  "  But  I  don't 
know  as  I  care  to  camp  out  and  get  soaked," 

"  If  it  rains  we'll  find  some  kind  of  shelter," 
answered  Benson.  "  But  come,  let  us  make  the 


BOUND  FOR    THE  FORT.  3 

most  of  the  daylight  while  it  lasts,"  and  he  urged 
his  steed  forward,  and  the  two  boys  did  the 
same. 

The  three  were  pursuing  their  way  along  a  gap 
in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  the  so-called  val 
ley  was  broken  up  by  tiny  water-courses,  walls  of 
rock,  and  dense  patches  of  forest  and  under 
brush.  It  was  midsummer,  and  the  hot  air  was 
filled  with  the  scent  of  green  growing  things. 
Deep  in  the  forest  the  song-birds  sang  gayly  and 
the  wild  animals  had  full  play  to  come  and  go  as 
they  pleased,  for  to  get  at  them  in  those  vast  fast 
nesses  was  next  to  impossible. 

The  party  of  three  had  left  the  town  of  River- 
ton  four  days  before.  They  were  bound  for  Fort 
Carson, — so  named  after  Kit  Carson,  the  cele 
brated  scout  and  Indian  fighter, — and  Sam  Ben 
son  carried  messages  of  importance  to  Colonel 
Fairfield,  the  commandant  at  the  fort. 

Joe  Moore  and  Darry  Germain  were  cousins, 
and  both  were  boys  of  sixteen,  well  built  and  well 
trained  in  outdoor  athletic  sports.  Joe  came  from 
Chicago  and  Darry  from  St.  Louis,  and  each  had 
graduated  from  his  local  high  school  but  a  few 
weeks  before. 

It  was  while  Darry  was  spending  a  brief  vaca 
tion  with  his  cousin  Joe  that  a  plan  for  visiting  the 
fort  was  formed.  Joe's  older  brother,  William, 


4  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

was  a  West  Point  graduate  and  a  captain  at  the 
fort,  and  he  wrote  on  stating  that  he  had  received 
permission  to  have  Joe  visit  him,  and  Darry  could 
come  too  if  he  desired.  Colonel  Fairfield  was 
an  old  friend  of  both  families,  and  promised  to 
treat  the  lads  well  should  they  make  the  trip. 

"  Hurrah !  just  the  thing !  "  Joe  had  cried  "  Of 
course  you'll  go,  Darry.  We  couldn't  have  a 
grander  outing." 

"  I'll  go  if  father  and  mother  will  let  me,"  had 
been  Barry's  answer,  and  he  had  at  once  written 
home  concerning  the  affair.  Two  weeks  later  the 
boys  were  off,  the  parents  of  each  cautioning  them 
to  be  careful,  and  wishing  them  the  best  of  luck. 

The  journey  westward  as  far  as  the  mining- 
town  of  Riverton  had  occurred  without  special  in 
cident.  They  had  been  told  to  hire  a  guide  at  this 
point,  and  while  looking  for  a  man  had  fallen  in 
with  Sam  Benson.  Benson  knew  Captain  Wil 
liam  Moore  well,  and  he  at  once  promised  to  take 
the  boys  along  with  him  and  do'the  best  he  could 
by  them. 

"  You'll  want  good  bosses,"  Benson  had  said, 
and  had  aided  them  in  selecting  their  animals 
and  in  getting  together  the  necessary  outfit.  The 
start  was  made  one  fine  morning  in  August,  and 
all  three  of  the  party  were  in  the  best  of  spirits. 

The  four  days  in  the  mountains  had  opened  the 


BOUND  FOR    THE  FORT.  5 

eyes  of  both  lads.  The  traveling  had  been  rather 
hard,  yet  they  had  enjoyed  every  minute  of  the 
journey.  They  had  stopped  once  to  do  some  fish 
ing,  and  Benson  had  brought  down  a  small  moun 
tain  deer.  At  night  they  had  put  up  at  the  cabins 
of  hunters  and  trappers,  and  before  retiring  had 
listened  to  thrilling  tales  of  adventures  with  wild 
beasts  and  with  the  Indians. 

But  now  Joe  was  anxious  to  get  to  the  fort  and 
see  his  brother,  from  whom  he  had  been  separated 
for  nearly  two  years.  Darry  was  also  anxious  to 
reach  the  outpost,  to  meet  not  only  his  cousin  Wil 
liam,  but  likewise  Colonel  Fairfield,  who  was  an 
old  friend  not  easily  forgotten.  Once  at  the  fort 
the  two  boys  felt  that  a  vacation  full  of  fun  and 
pleasure  would  follow.  Never  once  did  they 
dream  of  the  perils  which  awaited  them  in  that 
wild  region,  which  was  not  as  civilized  as  it  was 
to  become  a  handful  of  years  later. 

"  It  seems  to  me  it  is  growing  hotter,"  re 
marked  Darry,  after  riding  a  quarter  of  a  mile  in 
silence. 

"  It  is  growing  hotter,"  answered  the  old  scout. 
"  And  that  makes  me  more  certain  than  ever  that 
a  storm's  at  hand." 

"  We'll  have  to  take  what  comes,"  said  Joe. 
"  But  I  did  hope  we'd  reach  the  fort  by  to 


morrow," 


6  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

On  they  went,  around  a  bend  of  the  trail  and 
over  some  rough  rocks,  where  the  horses  had  to 
step  with  care,  for  fear  of  slipping  into  a  gully  on 
the  left.  Then  they  reached  a  patch  of  timber  and 
plunged  beneath  the  low-drooping  trees.  Here 
it  was  both  dark  and  cool,  and  Darry  breathed  a 
long  sigh  of  relief. 

"  How  delicious !  "  he  murmured.  "  It's  al 
most  like  going  into  a  cave.  Benson,  there  must 
be  lots  of  caves  in  these  mountains,"  he  went  on 
reflectively. 

"  There  are,"  answered  the  old  scout.  "  I've 
been  in  a  score  or  more." 

"  I  should  like  to  explore  a  big  cave,"  came 
from  Joe.  "  It  would  be  a  novelty  to  me." 

"  You  may  get  the  chance,  lad,"  said  Benson; 
"  and  get  it  soon." 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  Are  we  going  to  ride 
by  a  cave?" 

"  There  are  a  dozen  or  more  ahead,  and  we  may 
have  to  seek  one  of  'em  for  shelter.  Do  you  hear 
that?" 

Benson  threw  back  his  head  to  listen,  arid  the 
two  boys  did  likewise.  From  a  great  distance 
came  the  rumble  of  thunder,  echoing  and  re 
echoing  throughout  the  mountains.  To  the  west 
ward  the  sun  was  hidden  by  a  dense  mass  of  black 
clouds  which  grew  more  ominous  each  instant. 


BOUND  FOR    THE  FORT.  7 

"  The  storm  is  coming,  sure  enough,"  muttered 
Joe.  "  What  do  you  propose?  " 

"  We'll  ride  on  a  bit,  lad.  It  won't  hit  us  right 
away.  Come !  " 

^he  horses  were  urged  forward  at  an  increased 
speed,  and  soon  they  passed  the  patch  of  timber 
and  came  out  to  where  a  thick  fringe  of  brush 
skirted  a  long,  high  cliff.  The  sky  was  now  dark 
on  every  side,  and  the  wind  was  rising  with  a  dull, 
humming  sound. 

"  We'll  catch  it  in  a  few  minutes !  "  cried  Ben 
son  :  and  hardly  had  he  spoken  when  the  big  drops 
came  splashing  down,  hitting  the  broad  leaves  in 
the  underbrush  with  resounding  smacks. 

The  old  scout  continued  to  lead,  and  presently 
he  turned  to  the  left,  where  the  cliff,  parted.  Here 
was  an  opening,  lined  on  either  side  with  rocks 
and  dirt,  and  a  short  distance  further  was  the  en 
trance  to  a  cave  of  unknown  depths. 

"  We'll  stop  here,"  said  the  old  scout,  leaping 
to  the  ground,  followed  by  the  boys.  "  This  aint 
the  best  place  in  the  world,  but  it's  better  than  the 
open,  in  such  a  blow  as  is  coming." 

He  was  right  about  the  blow — already  the 
wind  was  rising,  and  hardly  had  the  three  led 
their  horses  into  the  cave,  the  entrance  to  which 
was  over  a  dozeii  feet  high,  when  there  came  a 
crashing  through  the  timber  left  behind,  which 


JSOYS   OF   THE  FORT. 

sent  many  a  frail  limb  and  sapling  to  the  ground 
and  carried  the  leaves  and  twigs  in  all  directions. 

"  I'm  glad  we  didn't  stay  in  the  woods !  "  cried 
Darry.  "  We'd  be  in  danger  of  falling  trees." 

"And  lightning  too,"  added  Joe.  "  Oh,  my! 
look  at  that !  "  he  continued,  as  a  blinding  flash  lit 
up  the  heavens.  "  That  must  have  struck  some 
where." 

"We'll  go  back  a  little,"  said  old  Benson. 
"  The  lightning  is  just  as  bad  here  as  it  is  in  the 
woods.  Wait  till  I  get  a  torch." 

Pine  was  plentiful  in  that  locality,  and  soon  he 
had  a  knot  which  was  full  of  pitch  and  which 
burned  well  when  a  match  was  applied  to  it. 
With  the  torch  in  hand,  he  led  the  way  further 
into  the  cave,  and  the  boys  followed  with  their 
animals. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CAVES   IN    THE    MOUNTAIN. 

THE  two  boys  had  expected  to  find  the  large 
cave  damp  and  unwholesome,  and  they  were  sur 
prised  when  they  learned  how  dry  the  flooring  and 
the  sides  were,  and  how  pure  the  air  was.  There 
was  no  breeze  in  the  place,  but  a  gentle  draught 
kept  the  air  stirring.  Of  course  the  atmosphere 
was  much  cooler  than  it  had  been  outside. 

Hardly  had  the  travelers  gained  the  center  of 
the  first  chamber  of  the  cave,  when  the  storm  out 
side  burst  in  all  its  fury.  The  lightning  and 
thunder  were  almost  incessant,  and  the  rain  came 
down  in  broad  sheets  which  completely  obliterated 
the  landscape. 

"  It's  little  short  of  a  flood,"  said  Darry,  after 
having  gone  to  the  mouth  of  the  cave  to  investi 
gate.  '  The  water  is  already  two  or  three  inches 
deep  on  the  trail." 

"  Well,  such  a  downpour  can't  last  long,"  re 
turned  Joe.  "  It's  only  a  shower,  or  a  cloud 
burst." 


10  BOYS   OF   THE   FORT. 

"  No,  it's  a  regular  rain,  and  it's  good  for  all 
night,"  answered  the  old  scout. 

"  All  night !  " 

"  Yes,  lad,  and  we'll  be  lucky  if  it  don't  last 
through  the  morning,  too.  It  don't  rain  very 
often  out  here,  you  see,  but  when  it  does  it  tries 
to  make  up  for  lost  time." 

'  Then  we'll  have  to  camp  right  here,  won't 
we?" 

'  To  be  sure.  Even  if  it  did  let  up,  you 
wouldn't  want  to  camp  in  the  wet  timber." 

'  Then  we  might  as  well  start  up  a  fire,"  came 
from  Darry,  in  something  of  a  disappointed  tone. 
"  I  was  hoping  we'd  be  able  to  camp  under  the 
stars  just  once  before  we  got  to  the  fort." 

"  Perhaps  you'll  get  a  chance  to  go  out  after 
you're  at  the  fort,"  said  the  old  scout,  by  way  of 
comfort.  "  Yes,  we'll  start  a  fire,  if  we  can  find 
any  dry  wood." 

The  horses  were  tied  up  between  some  rocks, 
and  then  the  three  searched  around.  At  the  en 
trance  to  the  cave  was  a  mass  of  brush  and  tree 
limbs  which  previous  storms  had  sent  in  that 
direction,  and  from  this  they  gathered  enough  for 
a  good-sized  fire.  It  did  not  take  long  for  the 
brush  to  blaze  up,  sending  the  sparks  to  the  roof 
of  the  cave  and  throwing  fantastic  shadows  all 
about  them. 


CAVES  IN   THE  MOUNTAIN.  it 

"  I  declare,  the  fire  makes  the  cave  look  quite 
home-like !  "  was  Joe's  comment,  as  he  threw  him 
self  down  on  a  flat  rock  with  his  blanket  under 
him.  "  Staying  here  won't  be  so  humdrum  as  I 
anticipated." 

"  I'm  going  to  explore  the  cave,  now  I  am 
here,"  returned  Darry.  "  Who  knows  but  what 
I  might  locate  a  gold  mine!  " 

"  You  be  careful  of  where  you  go,"  cautioned 
old  Benson.  "  These  caves  are  full  of  pitfalls, 
and  now  you  two  boys  are  with  me  I  don't  want 
anything  to  happen  to  you.  If  something  did 
happen,  neither  Captain  Moore  nor  Colonel  Fair- 
field  would  forgive  me." 

"  To  be  sure  we'll  be  careful,  Benson,"  an 
swered  Darry.  "  There' d  be  no  fun  in  getting 
hurt — even  if  we  did  locate  a  gold  mine." 

"  You  won't  find  any  gold  mine  here.  This 
ground  was  prospected  years  ago — before  even 
the  fort  was  located.  I  came  out  here  once  my 
self,  with  a  miner  named  Hooker  Brown. 
Hooker  was  dead  certain  there  was  gold  here,  but 
although  we  stayed  here  about  two  weeks  nosing 
around  we  never  got  even  a  smell  of  the  yellow 
metal." 

"  Well,  we'll  have  a  look  around,  anyway,"  said 
Joe.  "  But  we  must  get  good  torches  first." 

Pine  knots  were  procured  and  lit;  and,  with 


12  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

another  caution  from  the  scont  to  be  careful,  they 
set  off,  leaving  Benson  to  care  for  the  horses  and 
prepare  such  an  evening  meal  as  their  stores  af 
forded.  Luckily  the  scout  had  brought  down 
half  a  dozen  good-sized  birds,  and  these  he  now 
prepared  to  broil  in  true  hunter  style. 

The  front  chamber  of  the  cave  was  somewhat 
semi-circular,  and  behind  this  were  several  other 
irregular  apartments,  running  down  to  a  passage 
way  which  wound  in  and  out  between  jagged 
rocks  almost  impossible  to  climb  or  explore  in  any 
manner.  At  a  distance  could  be  heard  the  trick 
ling  of  water,  but  where  this  came  from,  or  where 
it  went  to,  nobody  in  the  cave  could  imagine. 

The  boys  advanced  from  one  opening  to  an 
other  with  care,  one  with  his  torch  held  high,  that 
they  might  see  ahead,  and  the  other  with  the  light 
close  to  the  ground,  to  warn  them  of  a  possible  pit 
fall. 

"  A  regiment  of  soldiers  could  quarter  in  here," 
observed  Darry,  as  they  pushed  on.  "  What  a 
defense  it  would  make !  " 

"  An  enemy  could  fire  right  into  the  entrance. 
And,  besides,  supposing  the  enemy  started  to 
smoke  you  out  ?  I  can  smell  the  smoke  from  the 
camp-fire  away  back  here." 

At  last  the  two  boys  reached  the  passageway 
back  of  the  rear  chamber,  and  here  came  to  a  halt. 


CAVES  IN   THE  MOUNTAIN.  13 

The  dropping  water  could  be  plainly  heard,  and 
Joe  flashed  his  torch  in  several  directions  in  the 
hope  of  catching  sight  of  the  stream. 

"  I'm  going  to  climb  the  rocks,"  he  said,  after  a 
pause.  "  Perhaps  there  is  another  opening  be 
hind  them." 

"  Remember  what  Benson  said,  and  be  careful," 
cautioned  his  cousin.  "  There  is  no  use  in  taking 
a  risk  for  nothing." 

"  Yes,  I'll  be  careful,"  answered  Joe,  and 
crawled  forward  with  care.  Darry  held  his  torch 
as  high  up  as  possible,  to  light  the  way. 

The  youth  had  advanced  a  distance  of  fifty  feet 
when  he  came  to  a  turn  in  the  passageway.  Here 
the  side  walls  were  not  over  two  yards  ap:rt, 
while  the  roof  could  be  touched  with  ease. 

Thinking  the  walking  better  at  this  point,  Joe 
struck  out  once  more.  The  flare  from  his  torch 
showed  him  something  of  a  chamber  ahead,  and 
the  water  sounded  closer  than  ever. 

But  hardly  had  the  lad  taken  a  dozen  steps  when 
the  smooth  rock  upon  which  he  was  advancing 
tilted  up,  sending  him  headlong.  As  he  went 
down  the  torch  was  knocked  from  his  hand. 
Then  he  slid  forward  into  the  darkness. 

"  Help !  "  he  managed  to  cry.     "  Help!  " 

"  What's  up  ?  "  came  from  Darry,  but  the  words 
were  drowned  out  in  the  crashing  of  one  stone 


14  BO YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

against  another.  In  the  meantime  Joe  had  fallen, 
he  knew  not  whither.  He  landed  on  some  soft 
ground,  turned  over  and  slid  along,  and  then  took 
a  second  drop.  A  stone  fell  beside  him  and 
pinned  his  jacket  to  the  ground. 

For  the  moment  the  lad  was  too  dazed  and  be 
wildered  to  do  anything  but  try  to  get  back  his 
breath.  Then,  as  it  gradually  dawned  upon  him 
that  he  was  not  hurt  in  the  least,  he  endeavored  to 
arise. 

"  Fast !  "  he  muttered,  and  tore  his  jacket  away 
from  under  the  rock.  Then  he  turned  about,  try 
ing  to  locate  his  torch.  But  that  was  missing, 
and  all  was  dark  around  him. 

"  I'm  in  a  pickle  now,"  he  thought.  "  I  wish 
I  had  taken  old  Benson's  advice  and  remained 
around  the  camp-fire.  But  who  would  have 
imagined  that  big  rock  would  play  a  fellow  such 
a  trick?  How  in  the  world  am  I  to  get  back 

•j » 
again  r 

From  a  great  distance  he  could  hear  Darry 
shouting  to  him.  He  tried  to  answer  his  cousin, 
but  whether  or  not  his  voice  was  heard  he  could 

not  tell. 

With  his  hands  before  him,  he  moved  around, 
and  scarcely  had  he  taken  a  dozen  steps  when  he 
slid  down  a  rocky  incline.  Here  there  was  water; 
and  he  shivered,  thinking  he  might  be  dropping 


CAVES  IN   THE  MOUNTAIN.  15 

into  an  underground  stream  from  which  there 
would  be  no  escape.  But  when  af>ool  was  gained 
it  proved  to  be  but  several  inches  deep. 

As  Joe  stood  in  the  pool  there  came  a  sudden 
rumble  of  thunder  to  his  ears.  He  listened,  and 
by  the  sounds  became  convinced  that  an  opening 
into  the  outer  air  could  not  be  a  great  way  off. 
Then  came  an  unexpected  flash  of  reflected  light 
on  the  rocks  by  his  side. 

''Hurrah,  that  light  came  from  outside!"  he 
cried.  "  I'm  not  buried  alive,  after  all.  But  I 
may  be  a  good  way  from  daylight  yet." 

He  had  some  matches  in  his  box,  and  lighting 
one  of  these  he  discovered  a  passageway  below 
him,  running  off  to  his  left.  Further  on  he  picked 
up  a  bit  of  dry  wood  and  lit  this.  It  made  rather 
a  poor  torch,  but  proved  better  than  nothing. 

"  Now  to  get  out,  and  then  to  find  my  way  back 
to  where  I  left  old  Benson,"  was  his  mental  re 
solve. 

With  extreme  caution  he  stole  forward  to  where 
the  lightning  revealed  a  distant  opening.  He  did 
not  leave  one  foothold  until  he  was  sure  of  the 
next,  for  he  had  no  desire  to  experiment  with 
another  moving  rock. 

The  thunder  now  reached  his  ears  plainly,  and 
the  lightning  at  times  made  the  front  of  the  cave 
as  bright  as  day. 


16  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"It's  quite  another  place,"  was  his  thought 
'  That  dangerous  passage  connects  the  two." 

Suddenly,  as  Joe  was  advancing,  he  heard  a 
clatter  of  horses'  hoofs,  and  into  the  cave  ahead 
rode  three  rough-looking  men,  all  armed  with 
rifles  and  pistols  and  each  carrying  small  saddle 
bags  across  his  steed. 

At  first  Joe  thought  to  call  out  to  the  new 
comers,  but  he  checked  himself,  for  their  appear 
ance  was  decidedly  against  them. 

u  I'll  try  to  find  out  something  about  them 
first,"  he  muttered.  "  Perhaps  they  belong  to  that 
gang  of  bad  men  Benson  was  telling  us  about  yes 
terday."  And  then,  as  the  three  came  to  a  halt  in 
the  center  of  the  outer  cave  and  dismounted,  he 
crept  closer,  in  the  shadow  of  some  sharp  rocks, 
to  overhear  what  they  might  have  to  say. 


CHAPTER  III. 

AN    IMPORTANT    CONVERSATION. 

"WHO  ever  saw  such  a  downpour  before?" 
growled  one  of  the  three  men,  as  he  switched  the 
water  from  his  soft  felt  hat.  "  I'm  wet  to  the 
skin/' 

"  I'm  no  better  off,"  replied  one  of  the  others. 
"  I  think  we  were  fools  to  leave  Macklin's  place, 
Gilroy." 

"  Just  what  I  think,  Fetter,"  said  the  third  man. 
"  We  could  have  waited  as  well  as  not." 

"  Yes,  we  could  have  waited,  Potts,"  answered 
Matt  Gilroy;  "  but,  to  tell  the  truth,  I  don't  want 
to  trust  Macklin  too  far.  He  might  play  us 
foul." 

"  He  wouldn't  dare  to  do  that,"  returned  Gus 
Fetter. 

"  Why  not — if  he  thought  he  would  get  a  re 
ward?  "  came  from  Nat  Potts,  the  youngest  of  the 
trio.  "  One  thing  is  certain,  Macklin  is  crazy  to 
make  money." 

"  I  know  a  thing  or  two  of  Macklin's  past — 


1 8  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

that's  why,"  went  on  Gus  Fetter.  "  If  he  got  us 
into  trouble  I  wouldn't  keep  silent  about  him,  and 
he  knows  it." 

"  Macklin  is  slippery,  no  two  ways  about  it," 
said  Matt  Gilroy,  as  he  took  off  his  jacket  and 
wrung  the  water  out.  ''I  am  not  inclined  to 
trust  him,  and  that  is  all  there  is  to  it." 

"  Did  he  ever  belong  to  the  old  gang?  "  ques 
tioned  Nat  Potts.  "  Some  say  he  did,  and  some 
say  he  didn't." 

"  He  was  a  hanger-on,  that's  all,"  came  from 
Matt  Gilroy.  "  He  was  always  afraid  to  take  the 
chances  of  being  shot,  but  was  on  hand  when  the 
spoils  were  divided.  They  used  him  as  a  mes 
senger  and  a  spy,  but  I  don't  believe  he  ever  really 
helped  to  hold  up  a  coach." 

"  Humph,  then  it's  a  wonder  the  old  crowd  had 
anything  to  do  with  him !  " 

"  Oh,  they  had  to  have  messengers  and  spies, 
and  they  never  gave  Macklin  more  than  was  com 
ing  to  him,  you  can  bet  on  that!  I  understand 
that  when  the  Riverton  coach  was  held  up  six 
years  ago,  and  the  gang  got  twenty-two  thousand 
dollars,  they  gave  Macklin  five  hundred,  and  he 
was  glad  to  get  that." 

"  That  was  a  big  haul!  "  cried  Nat  Potts  en 
thusiastically.  "  I  wish  I  had  been  in  it." 

"  The  gang  was  followed  for  two  days — by  the 


AN  IMPORTANT  CONVERSATION.  19 

soldiers  under  Colonel  Fairfield,"  went  on  Matt 
Gilroy,  as  he  threw  himself  on  the  rocks,  leaving 
his  companions  to  start  up  a  fire.  "  They  had  a 
hot  time  of  it  over  to  Bear  Pass,  I  can  tell  you. 
Two  men  were  shot,  and  one  of  them,  Dan 
Hickey,  my  old  chum,  died  from  his  wounds. 
They  say  Colonel  Fairfield  himself  fired  the  shot 
that  took  poor  Hickey  in  the  head,  and  if  that's 
so — well,  I've  got  an  account  to  square  with  the 
colonel,  that's  all." 

"  You  can  square  that  after  we've  had  our 
little  interview  with  the  quartermaster,"  returned 
Gus  Fetter  with  a  hard  laugh. 

"  That's  right — we'll  be  sure  to  have  the  sol 
diers  after  us,"  put  in  Nat  Potts.  "  They'll  be 
doubly  mad  when  they  learn  that  the  hold-up  re 
sulted  in  the  emptying  of  the  box  with  their 
wages." 

"  It  will  be  a  good  haul  if  it  goes  through,  boys. 
The  quartermaster  will  be  carrying  not  less  than 
twelve  thousand  dollars  of  the  government's 
money  besides  his  other  stuff,"  returned  Matt 
Gilroy. 

Here  the  conversation  came  to  a  temporary  end, 
for  Nat  Potts  had  produced  a  black  flask,  from 
which  each  of  the  men  took  a  deep  draught. 
Then  Potts  and  Fetter  started  in  to  build  a  roar 
ing  fire  at  which  all  might  dry  their  clothing,  leav- 


20  SOYS  OF   THE   FORT. 

ing  Gilroy,  the  leader  of  the  crowd,  to  do  as  he 
pleased. 

Joe  had  listened  to  the  talk  with  mingled 
interest  and  horror.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to 
realize  the  truth — that  these  men  were  thoroughly 
bad,  and  that  they  had  been  mixed  up  in  road  rob 
beries  of  the  past  and  were  contemplating  another 
robbery  some  time  in  the  future. 

'  They  mean  to  rob  the  quartermaster  of  the 
fort,  when  he  is  bringing  in  the  soldiers'  wages 
from  Rockspur,"  he  thought.  "  And  that  leader 
is  going  to  shoot  down  the  colonel  if  he  can. 
Who  would  imagine  men  could  be  so  bad !  And 
that  leader  seems  to  be  educated,  too !  " 

Joe  would  have  been  very  much  surprised  had 
he  known  the  truth,  which  was  that  Matt  Gilroy, 
often  called  The  Shadow,  was  a  college-bred  man, 
having  passed  through  one  of  the  leading  insti 
tutes  of  learning  of  the  Pacific  coast.  But,  fol 
lowing  this  college  career,  Gilroy  had  forged 
checks  and  committed  a  burglary,  in  company 
with  an  old  chum  named  Hickey,  and  then  the  two 
had  left  Sacramento  "  between  two  days." 
Hickey  had  immediately  joined  the  "  knights  of 
the  road  "  and  been  shot  down,  as  previously 
mentioned.  Gilroy  had  drifted  first  to  the 
Mississippi  and  then  to  Denver,  and  had  not 
gone  into  the  mountains  until  later.  Now  he 


AN  IMPORTANT  CONVERSATION.  *l 

was  at  the  head  of  a  desperate  gang,  numbering 
ten  or  a  dozen,  who  had  already  committed  sev 
eral  "  hold-ups  "  of  importance. 

Soon  the  fire  was  burning  brightly,  and  the 
three  men  took  off  part  of  their  wearing  apparel, 
that  the  articles  might  dry.  They  had  brought 
some  food  with  them,  and  as  they  sat  eating  and 
drinking  they  continued  to  discuss  their  plans. 
Nat  Potts,  who  was  not  over  nineteen  or  twenty, 
was  evidently  something  of  a  new  member,  and 
asked  many  questions  regarding  the  organization, 
and  as  he  took  in  what  was  told  him,  so  did  Joe, 
listening  with  "  all  ears,"  as  the  saying  goes. 

'  They  must  be  as  bad  a  crowd  as  can  be  found 
anywhere,"  thought  the  youth.  "  I  wonder  what 
they  would  do  with  me,  if  they  found  out  I  had 
been  listening  to  their  talk?  Perhaps  they'd  kill 
me  on  the  spot."  And  he  gave  a  shiver. 

The  thunder  and  lightning  had  gradually 
abated,  but  with  the  coming  of  night  the  rain  con 
tinued  as  steadily  as  ever.  Fortunately  for  the 
desperadoes,  however,  the  rocks  sloped  away  from 
the  entrance  to  the  cave,  so  that  no  water  came 
inside,  while  the  fire  made  everybody  quite  com 
fortable. 

Hardly  knowing  what  to  do,  Joe  continued  be 
hind  the  rocks,  taking  care  to  remain  in  the 
shadow.  More  than  once  he  was  afraid  one  or 


22  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

another  of  the  men  would  start  to  investigate  the 
surroundings  and  that  he  would  be  discovered. 

"  I  wish  they  would  go  to  sleep,"  he  said  to 
himself.  "  Then  I  might  get  a  chance  to  slip  past 
them  and  their  horses." 

With  great  impatience  he  watched  the  men 
finish  up  their  supper,  get  out  their  pipes,  and  fall 
to  smoking.  In  the  meantime  the  horses  had 
been  led  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  cave  and  fas 
tened  to  the  rocks. 

As  Joe  waited  for  a  chance  to  get  away  he  won 
dered  what  Darry  and  old  Benson  were  doing. 
More  than  likely  they  were  looking  for  him. 
But  were  they  in  that  other  cave,  at  the  narrow 
passageway,  or  did  the  old  scout  know  of  this 
second  cave  and  the  secret  entrance  to  it  ? 

"  If  Benson  leads  the  way  around  to  here  there 
may  be  trouble,"  he  mused.  "  It  would  be  better 
if  I  could  get  out  and  head  him  off.  But  if  I  do 
get  out,  how  shall  I  turn  to  find  the  trail  we  were 
pursuing?  In  this  darkness  a  fellow  couldn't  see 
his  hand  before  his  face." 

At  last  Fetter  threw  himself  down  on  a  blanket 
to  rest,  leaving  Gilroy  and  Potts  still  conversing 
earnestly  by  the  fire.  The  two  desperadoes  talked 
in  a  low  tone,  so  that  Joe  now  caught  but  little  of 
what  was  said. 

The  backs  of  both  men  were  turned  toward  the 


AN  IMPORTANT  CONVERSATION.  23 

side  of  the  cave  where  Joe  was  in  hiding;  and, 
plucking  up  courage,  the  youth  started  forward 
on  tiptoe,  bent  upon  getting  out  of  the  cave  be 
fore  the  men  should  make  some  move  which 
would  expose  him. 

Step  by  step  he  advanced,  until  he  reached  a 
point  where  he  was  within  a  dozen  feet  of  Gilroy 
and  almost  as  close  to  Potts.  He  hardly  dared 
to  breathe,  and  his  heart  thumped  madly  beneath 
his  jacket.  But  the  men  continued  to  smoke  an$ 
talk,  unconscious  of  his  proximity. 

At  the  entrance  to  the  cave  the  rocks  were 
somewhat  rough  and  the  mist  had  made  them 
slippery.  Joe  was  crawling  forward  rapidly, 
when  one  foot  slipped,  and  he  pitched  headlong, 
making  considerable  noise. 

"What  was  that?"  cried  Matt  Gilroy,  and 
leaped  to  his  feet.  He  had  been  gazing  into  the 
fire,  and  for  the  moment  could  make  out  little  in 
the  darkness. 

"  I  don't  know,"  returned  Nat  Potts.  "  Some 
thing  moving  around  out  there,  I  think."  And 
the  younger  man  reached  for  his  pistol,  which  still 
remained  in  his  belt. 

As  rapidly  as  he  could  Joe  sprang  to  his  feet. 
A  good  bit  of  his  wind  had  been  knocked  out  of 
him,  but  he  felt  that  he  must  not  delay,  and  he 
ran  for  the  outer  air  gasping  for  breath. 


24  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"Hi!  stop!"  roared  Matt  Gilroy,  catching 
sight  of  him  at  last.  "  Stop,  I  tell  you!  " 

"  A  boy !  "  ejaculated  Nat  Potts.  "  He  must 
have  been  hiding  in  here !  " 

"  If  he  was  he  overheard  too  much/'  growled 
Gilroy.  "Come,  we  must  catch  him  by  all 
means,"  and  he  ran  after  Joe,  with  Potts  fol 
lowing. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

LOST   IN    THE    FOREST. 

"  I  MUST  get  away  from  them!  " 

This  was  the  one  thought  which  surged  through 
}oe  Moore's  brain  as  he  dashed  from  the  cave  in 
the  mountain.  He  felt  that  if  he  was  captured  it 
would  go  hard  with  him.  Did  the  desperadoes 
learn  that  he  had  overheard  their  conversation, 
they  might  make  his  very  life  pay  the  forfeit. 

Forward  he  pitched,  into  the  rain  and  the  inky 
darkness,  not  knowing  in  what  direction  and  just 
then  caring  but  little.  His  one  idea  was  to  put 
distance  between  himself  and  his  pursuers. 

"  Stop !  "  he  heard  the  men  call,  and  heard  the 
clicking  of  a  pistol  hammer.  Then  he  reached 
some  brushwood,  and,  crouching  low,  continued 
to  move  on.  No  shot  came,  for  the  reason  that 
the  desperadoes  could  not  locate  him  with  cer 
tainty. 

At  length  Joe  reached  a  clump  of  trees.  Had 
he  not  had  his  hands  before  him  he  might  have 
run  into  them  head  first.  He  glided  around 


*  BOYS  OF   THE   FORT. 

them,  and  then  continued  onward,  down  a  slope 
leading  into  a  broad  belt  of  timber.  Still  with 
his  hands  before  him,  he  advanced  through  the 
undergrowth  and  between  the  stately  trees  for  a 
distance  of  several  hundred  feet. 

He  was  now  exhausted  with  running  and  with 
fighting  the  entangling  vines,  and  had  to  halt  to 
catch  his  breath.  As  he  came  to  a  stop  he  listened 
attentively,  to  learn  if  the  men  were  following, 
but  the  downpour  of  rain  drowned  out  every  other 
sound. 

Soaked  to  the  skin,  hatless,  and  still  short  of 
breath,  he  went  on  once  more,  feeling  that  he  was 
not  yet  far  enough  from  the  cave  for  safety.  He 
tried  to  steer  a  course  in  the  direction  of  the  cave 
where  he  had  left  Darry  and  the  old  scout,  but 
whether  he  was  successful  or  not  he  could  not  tell. 

A  hundred  yards  further  and  Joe  came  to  an 
other  slope,  covered  with  prairie  grass.  Down 
this  he  rolled  in  the  darkness,  to  bring  up  in  more 
brush  below.  Then  he  climbed  out  of  the  hollow 
at  the  opposite  side,  and,  reaching  a  large  fallen 
tree,  sat  down  to  rest  and  think  over  his  situation. 
The  tree  lay  partly  under  one  with  wide-spreading 
branches,  so  the  boy  was  somewhat  sheltered  from 
the  storm. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  Joe's  heart  sank 
within  him  as  he  reviewed  the  situation.  Where 


LOST  IN   THE  FOREST.  27 

he  was  he  could  not  tell,  nor  could  he  form  any 
definite  plan  for  rejoining  his  cousin  and  old  Ben 
son.  More  than  this,  he  was  afraid  that  the  des 
peradoes  might  come  up  at  any  minute  and  pounce 
upon  him. 

But  as  the  minutes  slipped  by,  and  he  neither 
saw  nor  heard  anything  of  those  in  pursuit,  he 
grew  easier.  Evidently  they  had  given  up  the 
chase. 

"  I  hope  they  have,"  was  what  he  thought.  "  I 
never  want  to  get  so  close  to  them  again.  They 
are  a  hard  crowd,  if  ever  there  was  one.  If  I 
can  get  to  the  fort  and  tell  Colonel  Fail-field  of 
what  I've  heard,  I'll  be  doing  a  good  thing." 

An  hour  went  by  slowly,  and  then  Joe  looked 
around  to  find  some  means  of  making  himself 
comfortable  for  the  balance  of  the  night,  knowing 
it  would  be  useless  to  pursue  his  course  through 
the  forest  in  the  darkness. 

:k  This  is  camping  out  with  a  vengeance!  "  he 
muttered  grimly.  "  Darry  ought  to  be  along;  I 
guess  he'd  soon  get  enough  of  it.  I'll  be  lucky  if 
I  don't  fall  in  with  some  savage  animal." 

The  thought  of  wild  beasts  gave  him  another 
shiver,  and  he  concluded  to  climb  into  a  nearby 
tree,  which  was  low-drooping  and  had  a  spot 
where  several  branches  made  a  sort  of  platform. 
He  was  soon  up  in  a  comparatively  dry  place,  and 


28  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

here  he  fell  asleep,  being  too  tired  to  hold  his  eyes 
open  longer. 

When  Joe  awoke  the  storm  had  cleared  away 
and  the  sun  was  struggling  through  the  scattering 
clouds.  The  forest  still  dripped  with  the  rain, 
and  with  this  dripping  were  mingled  the  songs  of 
the  birds  and  the  hum  of  insects. 

Stiff  from  the  wet,  he  climbed  slowly  to  the 
ground  and  looked  around.  On  every  side  were 
the  tall  trees  and  the  dense  undergrowth,  shutting 
off  the  distant  view  of  everything  but  a  towering 
mountain  to  the  westward.  This  was  the  moun 
tain  he  and  the  others  had  been  ascending  when 
the  storm  had  overtaken  them. 

"  I  suppose  I  may  as  well  head  in  that  direc 
tion/'  he  mused.  "  If  I  can  strike  the  trail  that 
will  be  something.  But  I'll  have  to  keep  my  eyes 
open,  or  I  may  fall  into  the  hands  of  that  Gilroy 
gang." 

He  was  hungry,  but  there  were  no  means  at 
hand  with  which  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  his 
stomach,  and  so  he  had  to  move  forward  without 
eating. 

Getting  into  the  forest  had  been  difficult,  but 
getting  out  was  even  more  of  a  task.  The  under 
brush  at  certain  points  was  positively  impassable, 
and  he  had  to  make  long  detours,  which  took  time 
and  tired  him  greatly.  At  noon  he  was  still  in 


LOST  IN   THE  FOREST.  2$ 

the  forest,  and  the  mountain  seemed  as  far  off  as 
ever. 

"  I  am  lost,  that  is  all  there  is  to  it!  "  he  burst 
out  with  a  groan.  "  I  am  lost,  and  perhaps  I'll 
never  get  out !  " 

The  sun  shone  down  directly  on  his  head,  and 
even  though  still  wet  he  was  glad  enough  to  seek 
the  shelter  the  stately  trees  afforded.  Here  and 
there  he  saw  some  berries  of  various  hues,  but  they 
were  strange  to  him,  and  he  did  not  dare  touch 
them  for  fear  of  being  poisoned. 

Toward  the  middle  of  the  afternoon  he  reached 
a  tiny  brook,  flowing  between  the  rocks,  and  here 
he  again  rested.  He  reached  the  conclusion  that 
the  brook  came  down  from  the  mountain  side  and 
by  following  it  up  he  must  sooner  or  later  run 
across  the  lost  trail. 

"  I'll  follow  it,  anyway,"  he  told  himself,  and, 
hungry  and  footsore,  set  out  along  the  water 
course. 

Here  the  walking  was  somewhat  better,  for  he 
had  no  brushwood  and  vines  to  tear  aside.  The 
brook  was  clear,  and  he  often  saw  trout  and  other 
fish  darting  hither  and  thither.  This  gave  him  an 
idea,  and,  picking  some  berries  he  had  seen,  he 
dropped  them  in.  At  once  some  of  the  fish  darted 
forward  and  swallowed  the  berries. 

"  Hurrah,  a  good  bait !  "  he  cried,  and  quickly 


30  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

made  himself  a  line  out  of  threads  from  his  cloth 
ing.  To  this  he  attached  a  pin  bent  into  shape 
with  infinite  care.  Then  he  baited  with  the 
berries,  and  dropped  the  line  in  over  a  rock  near 
a  cottonwood. 

Hardly  had  his  bait  touched  the  water  when  a 
good-sized  fish  seized  it,  and  in  a  twinkling  he  had 
his  catch  landed.  His  heart  gave  a  bound,  for 
here  was  the  material  for  at  least  one  square 
meal. 

"  I'll  cook  it  right  away,"  he  told  himself,  after 
feeling  to  see  if  he  had  any  matches.  His  hunger 
was  beginning  to  make  him  desperate,  and  he  did 
not  muoh  care  even  if  the  desperadoes  did  see  his 
camp-fire. 

With  some  trouble  he  got  together  a  few  sticks 
of  wood  and  some  moss  which  the  sunshine  had 
dried  out,  and  soon  he  had  a  respectable  blaze  be 
tween  two  rocks.  With  his  jackknife  he  cleaned 
the  fish  as  best  he  could,  and  then  broiled  it  on  a 
green  twig.  When  done  the  meat  was  slightly 
burnt  on  one  side  and  underdone  on  the  other,  but 
to  the  half-famished  lad  nothing  had  ever  tasted 
sweeter,  and  he  continued  to  eat  until  the  whole 
fish  was  gone. 

"  Now  I  feel  like  myself,"  he  muttered,  after 
washing  down  the  repast  with  a  drink  from  the 
brook.  "  On  a  pinch  that  meal  ought  to  last  me 


LOST  IN   THE   FOREST.  31 

until  to-morrow  noon,  and  surely  I  ought  to  find 
my  way  back  to  the  others  by  that  time." 

With  renewed  energy  he  continued  his  tramp 
along  the  brook,  often  wading  in  the  water  when 
the  brushwood  on  either  side  was  extra  thick. 
He  kept  his  eyes  and  ears  on  the  alert,  but  no 
human  being  came  into  sight,  and  presently  a 
great  feeling  of  loneliness  swept  over  him. 

"  I'm  alone,"  he  whispered  to  himself.  "  Alone! 
I  must  say  I  don't  like  it  much,"  and  he  hurried 
on  faster  than  ever. 

The  sun  was  shining  over  the  distant  mountain 
when  he  reached  a  bend  in  the  brook  and  came  out 
upon  a  rocky  trail  which  crossed  the  water-course 
at  a  right  angle.  As  he  looked  at  the  trail  he 
was  tempted  to  shout  with  joy. 

"  The  place  we  crossed  yesterday  morning!" 
he  exclaimed.  '  There  is  the  very  spot  where  we 
got  a  drink  and  watered  the  horses.  Now  I  ought 
not  to  have  such  a  hard  time  finding  the  cave." 

He  got  down  and  examined  the  trail  closely, 
hoping  to  discover  some  hoofmarks.  But  the 
heavy  rain  had  washed  everything  clean.  Never 
theless,  he  felt  certain  that  he  was  right,  and 
hurried  along  as  fast  as  his  tired  limbs  permitted. 

Leaving  the  brook,  the  trail  wound  in  and  out 
along  a  series  of  rocks  and  then  through  some 
heavy  brushwood  and  along  the  edge  of  a  jagged 


32  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

cliff.  The  cliff  was  overgrown  with  heavy  vines, 
which  hung  down  and  brushed  Joe's  head  as  he 
passed. 

"  I  can't  be  more  than  three  or  four  miles  from 
the  cave,"  thought  the  boy.  "And  if  I 
hurry " 

He  stopped  short,  and  then  gave  a  cry  of  terror, 
and  with  good  reason.  He  had  seen  the  vines 
ahead  suddenly  part,  and  now  there  came  to  view 
the  shaggy  head  of  a  black  bear.  As  soon  as  the 
beast  caught  sight  of  the  boy  he  leaped  to  the  trail 
and  advanced  upon  him. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BIG    BLACK    BEAR. 

JOE  had  never  before  met  a  black  bear  in  the 
open  air,  but  he  had  seen  several  in  menageries 
and  studied  them  at  a  safe  distance,  and  he 
realized  that  he  was  in  a  perilous  position.  The 
bear  looked  both  untamed  and  fierce  and  as  if 
nothing  would  suit  him  better  than  to  hug  the 
lad  to  death  and  eat  him  up  afterward. 

Joe  did  not  stand  upon  the  order  of  his  going, 
but  went  instantly,  running  as  fast  as  his  tired 
limbs  would  permit.  After  him  came  the  bear, 
and  it  was  astonishing  what  good  time  the  beast 
could  make  considering  his  size  and  his  general 
appearance  of  clumsiness.  Looking  over  his 
shoulder,  the  lad  soon  saw  that  the  beast  was 
slowly  but  surely  lessening  the  distance  between 
them. 

"  Shoo!  "  he  yelled,  and  waved  his  arm  threat 
eningly,  but  the  bear  did  not  mind  in  the  least. 
He  trotted  on  until  less  than  two  rods  separated 
boy  and  beast.  Then  Joe  reached  some  under- 

33 


34  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

brush  and  rocks,  with  a  low-hanging  tree  in  their 
midst,  and  without  stopping  to  think  twice  he 
climbed  into  the  tree  and  to  one  of  the  upper 
branches. 

Hardly  had  he  reached  what  he  thought  might 
prove  a  temporary  place  of  safety  when  he  realized 
his  mistake.  The  bear  came  up  the  tree  after  him, 
— slowly,  it  is  true;  but  still  up, — and  this  caused 
Joe's  hair  to  fairly  stand  upon  end. 

"  I'm  a  gone  one  now !  "  he  groaned,  and  then 
espied  another  tree  growing  not  far  away.  A 
limb  could  just  be  reached,  and  as  the  bear  almost 
gained  the  boy's  foot  Joe  swung  himself  from  the 
first  tree  into  the  second. 

As  the  lad  gained  a  safe  spot  on  the  tree  limb, 
the  bear,  coming  to  a  halt  on  the  branch  opposite, 
set  up  a  growl  of  rage  and  disappointment.  For 
a  minute  he  surveyed  the  situation,  then  came  out 
on  the  branch  slowly,  testing  it  inch  by  inch.  As 
it  bent  down  he  retreated,  letting  out  a  second 
growl,  louder  than  the  other. 

Joe  was  wondering  if  he  could  drop  to  the 
ground  and  escape  in  that  manner,  when  he  saw 
the  bear  descend  and  come  quickly  toward  the 
tree  he  was  on.  He  watched  the  beast  closely, 
and  waited  until  it  was  close  to  him.  Then 
he  made  a  leap  back  into  the  tree  from  which  he 
had  originally  come. 


THE  BIG  BLACK  BEAR.  35 

Again  the  bear  came  out  as  far  as  possible  on  a 
limb,  and  again  he  let  out  a  growl  of  rage  and  dis 
appointment.  In  one  way  the  situation  was 
comical,  and  Joe  might  have  laughed  had  he  not 
ielt  so  serious. 

"  We  can  keep  this  up  a  long  time,  I  reckon," 
thought  the  boy.  "  And  as  long  as  you  don't  try 
to  leap  after  me  I'll  be  safe." 

Finding  he  could  not  reach  the  boy  by  coming 
up  one  tree  or  the  other,  the  black  bear  descended 
slowly  to  the  ground.  Then  he  walked  around 
both  trees  several  times,  and  at  last  came  to  a  halt 
between  the  two.  Here  he  sank  down,  as  if  to 
rest,  but  nevertheless  kept  one  eye  open  and  fixed 
upon  Joe. 

"  He's  going  on  guard !  He  means  to  keep  me 
treed !  "  muttered  the  boy,  and  again  his  heart 
sank.  He  remembered  a  story  he  had  once  read, 
in  which  a  bear  had  starved  a  man  to  death  and 
eaten  him  afterward.  Would  Mr.  Bruin  do  so  in 
this  case  ? 

He  wished  he  had  a  pistol,  or  a  hunting-knife, 
or  even  a  fair-sized  stone.  But  he  had  nothing 
except  a  thin  club,  which  he  had  cut  for  him 
self  with  his  jackknife.  This  he  kept  in  hand, 
and  also  kept  the  knife  open  and  where  he  could 
get  at  it  readily  if  needed. 

Half  an  hour  went  by, — a  time  that  to  Joe 


36  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

seemed  a  whole  day, — and  still  the  black  bear  re 
mained  between  the  two  trees,  dozing-  with  one 
eye  and  watching  with  the  other. 

The  sight  of  the  beast  taking  it  so  easy  was 
maddening  under  the  circumstances,  and  at  last 
the  youth  cut  another  club  and  hurled  it  down  on 
top  of  the  bear.  At  once  the  beast  flew  up  with 
a  roar,  and,  standing  on  his  hind  legs,  snapped  his 
teeth  at  Joe.  Then  he  flew  up  the  tree  once  more, 
faster  than  ever  before. 

As  the  bear  came  up,  Joe  went  higher  than  be 
fore,  having  seen  another  friendly  limb  over  his 
head.  He  was  sorely  tempted  to  reach  for  the 
beast  with  his  club,  but  thought  best  not  to  run 
too  much  of  a  risk. 

As  before,  the  youth  swung  to  the  next  tree, 
and  again  the  bear  gave  a  growl  and  went  down. 
Then,  being  near  the  top  of  the  tree,  the  lad  took  a 
good  look  around. 

In  a  moment  a  sight  caught  his  eye  which 
caused  his  heart  to  jump  with  delight.  There  on 
the  trail  were  Darry  and  old  Benson,  riding  along 
slowly. 

"  Hi !  hi !  This  way !  "  he  shouted,  with  all  the 
strength  of  his  lungs.  "  This  way,  Darry !  This 
way,  Benson !  " 

He  saw  his  cousin  and  the  guide  bring  their 
steeds  to  a  halt  and  gaze  around  in  wonder.  To 


THE  BIG  BLACK  BEAR.  37 

them  the  voice  appeared  to  come  out  of  the  very 
air  itself. 

"It's  Joe's  voice!"  exclaimed  Darry.  "But 
I  must  say  I  don't  see  him." 

Both  gazed  around,  and  at  last  the  scout  caught 
sight  of  the  boy's  handkerchief  fluttering  among 
the  tree  branches. 

"There  he  is!"  he  exclaimed.  "But  what's 
he  doing  up  there?  " 

"  This  way !  "  went  on  Joe,  and  as  they  turned 
in  the  direction,  he  added,  "  Look  out  for  the 
bear!" 

"  A  bear !  "  came  from  Darry.  "  He  must  be 
treed!" 

"  I  reckon  you've  struck  it,"  muttered  Benson, 
and  hastily  unslung  his  rifle,  at  which  Darry  did 
the  same.  "  Follow  me,  but  be  on  your  guard," 
went  on  the  old  scout. 

He  advanced  with  caution,  his  horse  lifting  his 
ears  sharply  as  the  neighborhood  of  the  trees  was 
gained.  Presently  the  animal  came  to  a  sudden 
halt.  At  the  same  moment  Benson  caught  sight 
of  the  bear. 

"  So  that's  where  ye  are !  "  muttered  the  old 
scout. 

The  bear  raised  himself  on  his  hind  legs  and  let 
out  a  growl  at  the  newcomers.  Hardly  had  the 
sound  arose  upon  the  air  when  Benson's  rifle 


38  JBOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

cracked,  and  a  bullet  hit  the  beast  in  the  breast. 
Down  went  the  animal  on  all  fours,  but  did  not 
tumble  further.  Instead,  he  made  a  swift  bound 
for  the  scout's  horse. 

Crack!  It  was  now  Barry's  rifle  that  spoke 
up,  and  the  bear  was  hit  again,  this  time  in  the 
right  front  knee.  He  dropped,  but  quickly  arose, 
shaking  the  wounded  leg  in  the  air  and  uttering  a 
tremendous  roar  of  pain  and  rage. 

Neither  horse  would  now  stand  still,  and  both 
danced  around  so  lively  that  each  rider  had  all  he 
could  do  to  keep  his  saddle.  But  even  while  his 
steed  pranced  in  this  fashion,  old  Benson  man 
aged  to  draw  his  pistol,  and  two  additional  shots 
rang  out,  both  hitting  the  bear  in  the  side.  The 
roars  of  the  beast  were  now  incessant,  and  the 
horses  threatened  to  bolt  in  spite  of  all  the  riders 
could  do  to  stop  them. 

"  Gome!  "  cried  the  old  scout,  and  turned  from 
the  scene.  Thinking  he  meant  to  go  off  to  reload, 
Darry  followed.  But  when  at  a  safe  distance 
Benson  sprang  to  the  ground  and  tied  his  horse 
to  a  tree. 

"I'd  rather  finish  him  afoot,"  explained  the  old 
hunter,  and  slipped  another  cartridge  into  his 
rifle.  '''  You  can  stay  here  if  you  wish." 

"  Not  much !  "  murmured  Darry,  and  came 
down  also.  In  a  minute  he  was  following  the  old 


"  NOW  DARRY'S  RIFLE  SPOKE  UP,  AND  THE  BEAR  WAS  HIT 
AGAIN  ."— P,  38. 

nt  th*   &nrf 


THE  BIG  BLACK  BEAR.  39 

scout.  When  they  came  up  a  second  time  they 
found  the  bear  crawling  around,  roaring  in  a 
lower  tone.  Evidently  he  was  more  than  half  ex 
hausted. 

"  Another  good  shot  will  finish  him/'  sang  out 
Joe,  from  a  bottom  limb  of  the  tree.  "  Why  don't 
you  give  it  to  him  in  the  ear?  " 

"  I  will,"  answered  the  old  scout,  and  circled 
around,  watching  his  opportunity.  At  length  it 
came— the  rifle  cracked  sharply,  and  Bruin  fell 
on  his  side,  to  rise  no  more. 

"  Hurrah!  That's  a  big  haul!  "  cried  Darry, 
much  delighted.  "  I  was  wishing  we'd  get  a  bear 
some  time  while  we  were  out  here." 

"  It's  lucky  the  bear  didn't  get  Joe,"  remarked 
Benson.  "  They  generally  come  up  a  tree  after 
their  victim." 

"  I  jumped  from  one  tree  to  the  other,"  an 
swered  the  youth.  "  But  I  had  quite  an  exciting 
time,  I  can  assure  you." 

"  How  in  the  world  did  you  get  here?  "  ques 
tioned  Darry,  as  Joe  leaped  to  the  ground.  "  Did 
you  get  through  to  another  cave?  Benson 
thought  that  might  be  the  case." 

"  That  was  the  case,  Darry.  And  I've  had  a 
wonderful  adventure,  too,"  added  Joe  earnestly. 
Then  he  told  his  story,  to  which  the  others  listened 
with  close  attention.  When  he  came  to  mention 


40  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Gilroy,  Fetter,  and  Potts,  old  Benson  uttered  a 
low  whistle. 

"  So  that  gang  has  turned  up  again,  eh?  "  mut 
tered  the  old  scout.  "  This  will  be  news  to  Colo 
nel  Fairfield.  I  reckon  he'll  be  glad  to  be  put  on 
guard.  If  the  quartermaster  was  held  up  it 
would  prove  a  big  loss." 

"  Is  it  true  that  Colonel  Fairfield  killed  this  Gil 
roy 's  chum?  " 

"  Perhaps  he  did.  The  colonel  was  in  that 
mix-up,  and  after  it  was  over  Dan  Hickey  was 
found  dead  in  the  bushes.  But  it  was  a  fair  fight, 
and  the  desperadoes  knew  what  to  expect  when 
they  went  in  for  it." 

"  When  does  the  quartermaster  expect  to  come 
through  with  the  money  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know,  Joe.  Like  as  not  it  will  be 
soon.  And  that  being  the  case,  we  had  better  not 
lose  time  here,  but  get  to  the  fort  just  as  soon  as 
we  can,"  concluded  the  old  scout. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DARRY     MAKES     A    DISCOVERY. 

As  pressed  as  they  were  for  time,  Darry  and 
Joe  begged  that  the  bearskin  be  saved,  and  did 
all  they  could  toward  helping  the  old  scout  skin 
the  beast.  With  the  pelt  they  took  along  about 
twenty  pounds  of  the  juiciest  steaks. 

"  It's  a  pity  to  leave  the  rest  to  the  wolves !  " 
sighed  Joe.  "  But  it  can't  be  helped.  What  a 
feast  they  will  have!  " 

"  I'm  going  to  sling  the  beast  into  a  tree,"  re 
plied  old  Benson.  "  That  may  help  save  it  until 
somebody  else  comes  this  way.  The  soldiers 
from  the  fort  use  the  trail  yonder,  you  know." 

Soon  they  were  on  the  way  to  where  Benson 
and  Darry  had  left  Joe's  horse.  As  Joe  was  tired 
from  his  night's  adventure,  his  cousin  and  the  old 
scout  took  turns  in  carrying  him  behind  them. 
Even  then  his  eyes  would  occasionally  close. 

"  We  can't  make  the  fort  to-night,  that's  cer 
tain,"  said  the  old  scout. 

"  Not  if  we  pushed  on  hard?  "  asked  Darry. 


42  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Joe  can't  push  on  as  fast  as  that,  Darry. 
He'll  want  to  rest  as  soon  as  sundown  comes." 

"  Perhaps  I  can  get  a  nap  at  noon,  while  you 
two  get  dinner  ready,"  suggested  Joe.  "  I  won 
der  if  we'll  meet  those  rascals  anywhere  on  the 
road  ?  I  hope  not,  for  they'd  be  certain  to  recog 
nize  me." 

"  We'll  keep  an  eye  open  for  'em,"  responded 
Benson  dryly.  "  And  see  to  it  that  your  shooting- 
irons  are  ready  for  use." 

"  Why— do  you  think  they'd  attack  us?  "  asked 
Darry  quickly. 

1  They  might— if  they  thought  we  were  carry 
ing  anything  of  value.  To  such  desperadoes  all 
are  fish  that  swim  near  their  net." 

"  It's  a  pity  the  government  can't  stamp  such  a 
gang  out,  Benson." 

'  The  government  has  stamped  out  lots  of  'em, 
lad.  Why,  ten  years  ago  none  of  these  trails  was 
safe.  Nearly  every  horseman  and  stage-coach 
was  held  up.  To-day  you  don't  hear  of  a  hold-up 
once  in  six  months." 

"  Is  this  Gilroy  a  very  bad  man  ?  " 
"  He  is — in  a  way.  He's  a  well-educated  fel 
low,  so  I've  been  told,  and  not  as  brutal  as  some. 
But  he's  committed  some  robberies  that  have  no 
equal  in  the  history  of  these  parts.  Once  he 
painted  himself  as  an  Indian  and  went  to  the 


DARRY  MAKES  A   DISCOVERY.  43 

agency,  and  there  collected  a  lot  of  money  which 
was  coming  to  the  redskins,  the  agent  taking  him 
for  Chief  Snowbird  of  the  Modocs.  The  trick 
wasn't  discovered  until  three  days  later,  when  the 
real  Snowbird  turned  up.  Even  then  it  wasn't 
known  who  did  the  trick." 

"  And  how  was  Gilroy  found  out?  " 

"  A  fellow  named  Dowries,  who  belonged  to  the 
gang,  was  captured,  and  he  gave  the  secret  away. 
But  it  cost  Downes  his  life,  for  he  got  away  from 
the  soldiers,  and  while  he  was  in  the  mountains 
some  of  his  gang  shot  and  killed  him." 

At  this  story  both  Joe  and  Darry  shuddered. 

"  What  a  lawless  set!  "  muttered  Joe.  "  One 
could  hardly  believe  it  unless  he  saw  it  with  his 
own  eyes." 

"  In  a  rough  country  the  men  are  bound  to  be 
more  or  less  rough,  lad.  Look  at  California,  for 
instance.  To-day  it's  as  quiet  and  orderly  as 
Massachusetts  or  Illinois.  But  in  the  days  of  '49 
it  wasn't  that  way.  Many  a  miner  was  held  up 
for  his  gold  dust,  and  many  a  miner's  secret  of  a 
rich  find  was  stolen  from  him  and  the  miner  him 
self  murdered." 

"  And  how  long  do  you  think  it  will  take  to 
make  this  territory  perfectly  safe?  " 

"  There  aint  no  telling  about  that,  but  probably 
when  you  are  as  old  as  I  am  now  you'll  be  able  to 


44  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

travel  anywhere  without  fear  of  being  stopped. 
The  railroads  are  a-coming  in,  towns  are  building 
up,  and  one  of  these  days  the  desperadoes  and 
stage-coach  robbers  will  all  be  a  thing  of  the  past 
— and  a  good  job  done." 

The  third  horse  had  been  found,  and  now  Joe 
was  riding  in  his  own  saddle.  The  rain  of  the 
night  before  had  made  the  trail  dustless,  and  the 
air  was  as  pure  and  sweet  as  one  could  wish. 

By  noon  they  calculated  that  they  had  covered 
ten  miles  of  the  worst  portion  of  the  distance  to 
the  fort.  The  ride  had  been  a  strain  to  Joe,  and 
when  old  Benson  called  a  halt  he  was  glad  enough 
to  slip  to  the  ground  and  throw  himself  in  the 
shade  of  a,  tree  to  rest.  Darry  and  the  old  scout 
lit  a  fire,  and  soon  had  a  nice  steak  preparing  for 
dinner. 

"  He's  asleep,"  said  Darry,  a  little  later,  point 
ing  to  Joe.  "  Poor  fellow !  supposing  we  let  him 
rest  for  a  couple  of  hours?  I  haven't  the  heart  to 
wake  him  up." 

"  All  right,"  answered  Benson.  The  pair  ate 
their  dinner  without  arousing  Joe,  and  after  it 
was  over  the  scout  sat  down  near  at  hand  to  smoke 
his  stumpy  brier-root  pipe,  filling  it  with  cut-plug 
which  was  as  black  as  coal,  and  puffing  away  with 
keen  satisfaction. 

Darry  was  more  restless,  and  having  put  away 


DARRY  MAKES  A   DISCOVERY.  45 

the  things  used  in  preparing  the  meal  he  began  an 
inspection  of  the  neighborhood. 

"  Be  careful,"  said  old  Benson,  as  the  youth 
moved  around.  "  Don't  get  into  trouble,  as  Joe 
did." 

"  I'll  keep  my  eyes  open,"  replied  Darry. 

Opposite  the  trail  was  a  tall  spur  of  rocks  with 
something  of  a  series  of  natural  steps  leading  to 
the  top.  Up  these  steps  went  the  youth.  Some 
of  the  climbing  was  difficult,  but  this  he  did  not 
mind. 

When  the  top  was  gained  a  magnificent 
panorama  was  spread  out  before  him.  To  one 
side  were  the  tall  mountains,  hidden  in  a  bluish 
mist,  to  the  other  the  vast  forests  and  plains. 
Northward  was  the  continuation  of  the  gap  they 
were  traveling,  and  southward  was  a  series  of 
foothills,  with  here  and  there  a  stream  or  water 
fall  glinting  brightly  in  the  sunshine. 

"  How  grand !  "  he  murmured.  "  What  a  vast 
country  this  is!  Thousands  upon  thousands  of 
people  could  live  here,  and  nobody  be  crowded. 
This  would  make  splendid  pasture  for  cows  and 
sheep,  and  yet  there  isn't  a  single  animal  in  sight." 

Beyond  the  rocky  spur  was  a  similar  elevation, 
and  presently  Darry  crossed  to  this.  Here  there 
was  a  lone  pine  with  several  low  branches,  and  he 
drew  himself  up  and  climbed  to  the  top.  He 


46  JSOYS  Of  THE  FORT. 

could  now  see  much  further  than  formerly,  and 
his  view  took  in  a  portion  of  the  trail  passed  sev 
eral  hours  before,  as  it  wound,  serpent-like,  be 
tween  the  foothills. 

"  Hullo !  "  he  cried,  as  he  caught  sight  of  some 
thing  moving  on  the  trail.  "  Three  people  on 
horseback.  Can  they  be  the  desperadoes  Joe 
met?" 

He  watched  the  riders  with  interest,  and  at  last 
felt  certain  they  were  three  men  fully  armed  and 
wearing  slouch  hats  and  light-colored  coats.  This 
description  tallied  with  that  given  by  his  cousin, 
and  he  hastened  down  to  acquaint  old  Benson 
with  the  news. 

"  Must  be  the  gang,"  said  the  scout.  "  Are 
they  moving  this  way  ?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Then  we  had  better  move  on." 

Joe  was  awakened,  and  leaped  to  his  feet,  look 
ing  rather  bewildered. 

"  I— I  thought  I'd  take  a  little  nap,"  he  stam 
mered.  "  I  suppose  I've  slept  a  good  while, 
haven't  I?" 

"  About  an  hour  and  a  half,"  answered  his 
cousin.  "  Here's  your  dinner,"  and  he  passed  it 
over.  "  We've  got  to  move  on.  Those  rascals 
are  behind  us." 

"Behind  us!" 


DARRY  MAKES  A   DISCOVERY.  47 

"  Don't  get  scared,"  put  in  old  Benson.  "  They 
are  a  good  distance  back.  Darry  discovered  'em 
from  yonder  p'int.  Eat  what  you  want,  and  then 
it  will  be  time  enough  to  start." 

The  repast  was  quickly  disposed  of  by  Joe,  and 
soon  they  were  in  the  saddle  once  more.  The 
long  nap  had  refreshed  the  lad  greatly,  and  he  said 
he  would  now  be  able  to  ride  as  far  as  anybody. 

On  they  went,  the  trail  growing  more  difficult 
as  the  top  of  the  mountain  was  gained.  Here 
there  was  a  stiff  breeze  that  at  times  was  positively 
cold,  and  both  boys  were  glad  enough  to  button 
their  jackets  tightly  around  them. 

If  all  went  well  Benson  calculated  that  they 
could  reach  Hank  Leeson's  place  with  ease  before 
dark.  This  was  the  cabin  of  an  old  hunter  and 
trapper  who  was  known  from  one  end  of  the  Ter 
ritory  to  the  other.  As  mentioned  at  the  begin 
ning  of  this  tale,  Leeson's  place  was  twenty  miles 
from  the  fort. 

"  I  could  ride  right  through,"  said  the  old  scout. 
"  But  you  boys  couldn't  do  it.  If  you  tried  it, 
you'd  be  so  sore  and  stiff  the  next  day  you  couldn't 
stand  up." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

AT    HANK    LEESON'S    CABIN. 

AT  first  the  boys  were  inclined  to  think  that  the 
old  scout  was  mistaken — that  they  could  ride  as 
far  as  anybody.  But  when,  shortly  after  sunset, 
they  came  within  sight  of  Hank  Leeson's  place 
both  were  glad  to  think  that  they  would  have  to 
ride  no  more  for  the  present. 

"  I'm  sore  already,"  whispered  Darry  to  his 
cousin. 

"So  am  I — but  I  didn't  want  Benson  to  know 
it,"  was  the  low  answer.  "  That  last  mile  of  the 
trail  was  awfully  rough." 

Hank  Leeson  had  seen  them  coming,  and  stood 
at  the  doorway  of  his  cabin,  rifle  in  hand.  He 
was  a  tall,  thin  man,  with  black  eyes  that  were 
exceedingly  sharp  and  shrewd.  When  he  recog 
nized  Sam  Benson  he  dropped  his  firearm  into  a 
corner  and  ran  to  meet  the  scout. 

"  Downright  glad  ter  see  ye!  "  he  said,  shaking 
hands.  "  Sam,  yer  a  sight  fer  sore  eyes,  thet's 
wot!" 

48 


AT  HANK  LEESON' S  CABIN-.  49 

"  And  I'm  glad  to  see  you,  Hank/'  responded 
Benson,  just  as  warmly.  "  How  have  things  been 
with  you?  " 

"  Putty  slow,  to  tell  the  truth."  Leeson  looked 
at  the  boys.  "  Two  tenderfoots  along,  I  see." 

"  Yes.  This  is  Joe  Moore,  brother  to  the  cap 
tain  up  at  the  fort,  and  this  is  Darry  Germain,  his 
cousin.  Boys,  this  is  Hank  Leeson,  the  best 
trapper  and  all-around  shot  in  these  parts." 

"  Oh,  come,  don't  be  a-praisin'  me  so  much !  " 
cried  Leeson,  as  he  took  the  boys'  hands  in  a  grip 
that  made  them  wince.  "  As  fer  shootin',  ye  kin 
do  thet  yerself  as  good  as  anybody,  Sam."  He 
looked  the  boys  over.  "  Glad  to  know  ye,  lads. 
I  know  Captain  Moore  downright  well,  and  he's  a 
good  soldier." 

"  I've  got  news,  Hank,"  put  in  the  old  scout. 
"  Joe  fell  in  with  Matt  Gilroy's  gang  down  near 
Buck  water  Run." 

"  What !  "  roared  the  old  trapper.  "  Do  you 
mean  to  tell  me  thet  measly  crowd  is  around  here 
ag'in?" 

"  Three  of  'em  are — Gilroy,  Fetter,  and  a  young 
fellow  named  Potts.  I  think  Potts  comes  from 
Denver." 

"  I  know  him.  His  father  was  Ike  Potts,  the 
card-sharp.  Thet  blood  is  about  as  bad  as  any 
in  the  gang.  What  are  they  up  to?  " 


50  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

'  They  are  laying  a  trap  for  the  quartermaster 
when  he  comes  through  with  the  soldiers'  money. 
Joe  heard  part  of  their  talk  by  accident.  Do  you 
know  when  the  quartermaster  is  expected?  " 

"  I  do  not.  Ye  see,  ever  since  old  Cap'n  Bissile 
was  held  up  the  army  officers  keep  mum  about  the 
movements  of  the  cash-box.  I  reckon  they  have 
orders  from  Washington  to  do  it." 

"  I  want  to  warn  Colonel  Fairfield  as  soon  as  I 
can/'  went  on  the  old  scout. 

"  Yes,  he  ought  to  be  warned." 

"  Can  you  lend  me  a  fresh  hoss?  " 

"  I  can." 

"  Then  I'll  be  off  as  soon  as  I've  had  a  bit  of 
supper.  The  boys  can  stay  with  you  all  night, 
can't  they?" 

"  They  can,  an'  welcome,"  replied  Hank  Lee- 
son. 

"  You  are  going  to  leave  us?  "  queried  Joe. 

"  Don't  see  any  other  way  to  do,  lad.  The 
sooner  I  get  the  news  to  the  fort  the  better.  I'll 
come  back  in  the  morning  after  you — or  send 
your  brother  or  somebody  else." 

"  We  can  ride  it  alone,  can't  we?  "  questioned 
Darry. 

"  I  wouldn't  try  it,  if  I  were  you.  The  trail  is 
a  rough  one,  and  there  are  several  forks  where 
you  might  go  astray." 


AT  HANK  LEE  SON'S  CABIN.  51 

"  Better  stay  with  me,  lads,"  put  in  Leeson. 
"  I'll  treat  ye  well,  never  fear,"  and  he  smiled 
broadly. 

"  Thank  you,"  returned  Joe.  "  I  was  only 
thinking  I'd  like  to  see  my  brother  soon,  that's 
all." 

"  A  few  hours  more  or  less  won't  make  much 
difference,"  said  Darry.  He  had  looked  around 
the  trapper's  cabin,  and  was  interested.  "  Let  us 
wait."  And  so  it  was  arranged. 

It  did  not  take  long  to  get  a  bit  of  supper,  and 
in  less  than  half  an  hour  Sam  Benson  was  off, 
astride  of  a  powerful  steed  which  had  been  Hank 
Leeson's  pride  for  years. 

"  Jest  tell  him  to  go  to  the  fort,"  said  Leeson, 
"  and  he'll  carry  ye  thar  with  his  eyes  shet,"  and 
he  gave  a  parting  salute  to  the  old  scout. 

The  cabin  was  a  primitive  affair  of  rough  logs, 
with  the  chinks  filled  with  dried  clay.  It  con 
tained  two  rooms,  each  about  twelve  feet  square. 
Back  of  the  cabin  was  a  lean-to  where  Leeson  kept 
his  horses,  two  in  number.  There  was  room  for 
more  animals,  so  the  beasts  ridden  by  our  friends 
were  easily  accommodated. 

Night  had  fallen  by  the  time  the  horses  had  been 
rubbed  down  and  fed  and  the  boys  had  finished 
their  evening  repast,  and  it  was  dark  when  they 
gathered  around  the  doorstep  to  rest.  Hank 


5*  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

Leeson  sat  on  a  chopping-block,  cleaning  his  rifle 
and  smoking  at  the  same  time,  and  as  the  three 
rested  Joe  told  of  his  adventure  in  the  cave,  and 
Darry  took  up  the  tale  of  the  bear. 

'  You  had  a  lucky  escape,  lad,"  said  the  trap 
per.  "  A  lucky  escape,  an'  no  error.  Like  as  not 
them  desperadoes  would  have  killed  ye,  had  they 
caught  ye." 

"I've  been  thinking — do  you  imagine  they'll 
come  here  to-night  ?  "  asked  Darry. 

Hank  Leeson  shook  his  head. 

"  Don't  allow  as  they  will.  About  a  year  ago 
I  gave  thet  Fetter  fair  warnin'  if  he  showed  his 
face  about  my  cabin  I'd  plug  him  full  o'  holes,  an' 
I  sent  Gilroy  the  same  message.  They  know  me, 
an'  know  I  won't  stand  any  nonsense.  They'll  be 
likely  to  give  me  a  wide  berth.  They  know  I 
aint  got, much  worth  stealin'." 

"  Then  we  ought  to  be  safe  until  the  soldiers 
get  the  news." 

"  Reckon  you  will  be,  lad,"  answered  the  trap 
per. 

He  was  very  much  of  a  quaint  character,  and 
for  two  hours  the  boys  sat  up,  listening  to  his  tales 
of  encounters  with  wild  animals,  desperadoes,  and 
Indians. 

"  I've  had  my  own  little  fun  with  b'ars,"  he 
said.  "  Got  in  a  tree  onct,  and  a  b'ar  kept  me 


AT  HANK  LESSON'S  CABIN.  S3 

there  fer  a  whole  day.  I  had  wounded  him  in  the 
leg,  and  in  running  over  a  brook  I  dropped  my 
gun." 

"  How  did  you  get  away?  "  asked  Darry. 

"  I  didn't  know  what  to  do  fust.  The  b'ar  had 
me  foul,  and  kept  right  at  the  bottom  of  the  tree 
all  the  time.  With  his  wounded  leg  he  couldn't 
come  up,  and  I  didn't  dare  to  go  down,  and  there 
we  was — a-lookin'  at  each  other,  he  a-growlin' 
and  I  a-sayin'  all  kind  o'  unpleasant  things  about 
him." 

"  Didn't  you  have  a  pistol?  " 

"  No,  all  I  had  with  me  at  the  time  was  a 
powder-horn,  a  matchbox,  and  my  pocket-knife. 
What  to  do  I  didn't  know,  and  I  was  a-thinkin' 
I'd  be  starved  out,  when  a  thought  struck  me  to 
blow  him  up  with  powder." 

"  Blow  him  up !  "  cried  both  boys. 

"  Thet's  wot,  lads — blow  him  up.  I  had  a 
handkerchief,  ye  see,  an'  into  this  I  dumped  'bout 
half  my  powder,  an'  into  the  powder  I  put  three 
matches,  with  the  ends  pointing  out.  Then  I  tied 
powder  an'  matches  into  a  hard  lump  and  watched 
my  chance.  There  was  a  flat  rock  near  the  roots 
of  the  tree,  and  putty  soon  Mr.  B'ar  squatted  on 
this  rock.  Then  I  let  drive  fer  the  rock,  an'  the 
powder  an'  matches  landed  good  an'  hard,  I  can 
tell  ye." 


54  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  And  exploded  ?  "  put  in  Joe  eagerly. 

"  Yes,  exploded  with  a  noise  ye  could  hear 
'most  a  mile,  I  calkerlate.  The  powder  flashed 
straight  up  into  thet  ba'r's  face,  blindin'  him  and 
tearing  his  jaw  half  off,  and  the  way  he  ran  to  save 
himself  was  a  caution.  As  soon  as  he  was  gone  I 
dropped  down  and  ran  for  my  gun.  Then  I  made 
after  the  b'ar  and  caught  him  between  the  rocks 
and  finished  him." 

This  was  the  last  story  told  that  night,  and  soon 
after  the  tale  was  concluded  Leeson  showed  the 
boys  into  the  inner  room  of  the  cabin,  where  there 
was  something  of  a  rough  bed  with  a  straw  mat 
tress. 

"  Make  yerselves  ter  hum,"  he  said.  "  It 
aint  no  hotel,  but  it's  the  best  I've  got  to  offer  ye." 

"  But  we  don't  want  to  turn  you  out,"  said 
Darry. 

"  I'll  make  myself  comfortable  near  the  door," 
answered  Leeson.  "  I  want  to  sleep  with  one  eye 
open — in  case  those  rascals  should  take  a  notion 
to  come  this  way." 

The  boys  were  glad  enough  to  rest  indoors 
again  and  take  off  the  clothing  they  had  worn  dur 
ing  the  storm. 

"  Camping  out  is  well  enough,"  declared  Joe; 
"  but  I  don't  want  too  much  of  it." 

"  Oh,  we've  seen  the  worst  side  of  it,"  returned 


AT  HANK  LEESON'S  CABIN.  55 

Dairy.  "  I  expect  lots  of  good  times  when  we 
get  to  the  fort." 

"  Oh,  so  do  I,  for  the  matter  of  that." 

After  turning  in  it  did  not  take  long  for  the 
cousins  to  get  to  sleep,  and  a  little  while  later 
Hank  Leeson  also  threw  himself  down  to  rest. 
But  the  old  trapper  remained  close  to  the  door 
step,  and  slept  with  his  rifle  near  at  hand. 

An  hour  went  by,  and  the  darkness  and  silence 
continued.  There  was  no  moon,  and  only  a  few 
stars  were  visible.  At  a  distance  a  few  night 
birds  were  calling,  and  occasionally  the  howl  of 
some  lonely  wolf  could  be  heard,  but  that  was  all. 

At  last  from  out  of  the  darkness  of  the  trail 
came  three  men  on  foot.  They  were  Matt  Gilroy 
and  his  companions.  They  had  tethered  their 
horses  in  the  bushes  some  distance  away.  They 
stole  toward  the  cabin  like  so  many  grim  and  silent 
shadows. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE    STEALING    OF    THE    HORSES. 

"  Go  slow,  men,"  came  softly  from  Gilroy. 
'  You  know  what  kind  of  a  man  Leeson  is." 

"  Reckon  I  do  know,"  came  in  a  growl  from 
Fetter.  "  And  I've  got  an  account  to  settle  with 
him,  too." 

"  I'm  pretty  certain  the  boy  is  here,"  went  on 
the  leader.  "  But  we  must  make  sure  if  the 
others  are  here  too,  or  if  they  have  ridden  off  to 
the  fort.  If  they  have  gone  to  the  fort " 

"  Hist ! "  came  in  warning  from  Potts. 
;*  You're  talking  too  much.  I've  heard  that  this 
Leeson  sleeps  with  his  ears  wide  open." 

"  He  does,"  grumbled  Fetter;  and  then  the 
three  desperadoes  relapsed  into  silence. 

They  were  advancing  upon  the  cabin  from  the 
rear,  and  each  held  a  ready  pistol  in  his  hand, 
while  his  rifle  was  slung  over  his  back.  They  had 
seen  the  boys  and  Benson  head  for  the  trapper's 
home  while  it  was  still  light  and  they  were  on  a 
high  cliff;  but  darkness  had  closed  in  on  the  scene^ 

56 


THE  STEALING  OF  THE  HORSES.     57 

and  they  had  come  up  to  the  spot  in  ignorance  of 
what  had  followed. 

Tiptoeing  their  way  they  reached  the  lean-to 
where  the  horses  had  been  stabled,  and  with  cau 
tion  Gilroy  went  inside.  By  feeling  the  animals 
he  soon  learned  that  three  had  been  in  use  but  a 
few  hours  before,  while  the  fourth  was  cool  and 
comfortable. 

'  Their  horses  are  here/'  he  announced.    "  And 
a  fourth  is  here,  too." 

"  That's  Leeson's,"  answered  Fetter.  "  But  I 
thought  he  had  two  or  three." 

"  Might  as  well  take  them  while  we  have  the 
chance,"  murmured  Potts.  "  Four  nags  will 
bring  some  money  over  at  Highwater.  We  can 
get  Gingo  to  sell  'em." 

"  Let  them  out,"  answered  Gilroy.  "  Without 
horses  they'll  have  their  hands  full  trying  to  fol 
low  us." 

It  was  no  easy  task  to  untie  the  horses  in  a  place 
that  was  pitch-dark,  and  it  took  some  time  to  get 
even  the  horses  belonging  to  our  friends  re 
leased. 

As  Fetter  and  Potts  took  the  animals  out,  Gil 
roy  worked  to  untie  the  sturdy  mare  belonging  to 
Hank  Leeson.  This  was  a  pet  animal,  and  not 
used  to  strangers.  As  Gilroy  caught  hold  of  the 
halter  she  gave  a  neigh  of  suspicion. 


58  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"  Hush!  "  murmured  the  desperado,  and  ran  his 
hand  down  the  mare's  nose.  But  this  made  her 
skittish,  and  she  stamped  sharply  half  a  dozen 
times. 

"  What's  up  thar?"  came  in  Hank  Leeson's 
voice,  and  the  trapper  was  wide  awake  on  the  in 
stant.  "  Whoa,  Nancy,  whoa !" 

"Hang  the  luck!"  muttered  Gilroy,  and  ran 
outside  after  Fetter  and  Potts,  "  He  must  have 
been  on  the  watch." 

"  We  must  get  out !  "  responded  Fetter.  "  He's 
a  sure-shot,  remember.  Nothing  but  the  dark 
ness  can  save  us." 

"  I'm  going!  "  came  from  Potts,  and  he  leaped 
on  the  back  of  one  of  the  horses — that  which  Joe 
had  been  riding. 

"  I'm  with  you,"  said  Fetter,  and  mounted  old 
Benson's  steed.  "  Come,  Matt,  and  be  quick 
about  it." 

By  this  time  Hank  Leeson  was  running  around 
the  corner  of  the  cabin,  gun  in  hand.  His  call 
had  aroused  Joe  and  Darry,  and  they  were  pulling 
on  their  clothing  with  all  speed. 

"  Something  is  wrong!  "  exclaimed  Joe. 

"  It  must  be  those  desperadoes,"  responded  his 
cousin. 

The  boys  were  not  yet  dressed,  when  they  heard 
a  clatter  of  hoofs  and  a  shot,  followed  by  another. 


THE  STEALING  OF  THE  HORSES.     S9 

Then  they  came  out,  rifles  in  hand,  to  find  Leeson 
reloading  near  the  stable. 

"Those  desperadoes  have  been  here!"  ex 
claimed  the  old  trapper.  "  They  ran  off  with  your 
hosses,  consarn  'em !  " 

"  Went  off  with  the  horses?  "  repeated  Darry. 
"  Did  you  shoot  at  them?  " 

"  I  did,  but  the  light's  against  me,  and  I  don't 
reckon  as  how  I  hit  anything."  Hank  Leeson 
meditated  for  a  moment.  "  I've  half  a  mind  ter 
do  it — yes,  I  have !  "  he  muttered. 

"Do  what?  "asked  Joe. 

"  Go  after  'em  on  my  mare.  Would  you  be 
afraid  to  stay  here  alone  if  I  went?  " 

"No;  go  ahead!  "  cried  both  boys. 

"  We'll  keep  watch  while  you  are  away,"  con 
tinued  Joe. 

"  If  you  can  get  the  horses  back  it  will  be  a 
great  favor,"  said  Darry.  "  The  three  are  worth 
over  five  hundred  dollars." 

Without  further  words,  Hank  Leeson  dashed 
into  the  stable,  untied  his  mare  and  mounted 
her.  Rifle  over  shoulder  and  pistol  in  hand,  he 
dashed  away  on  the  back  trail,  whence  the  des 
peradoes  had  disappeared.  Soon  he  was  swal 
lowed  up  in  the  darkness,  although  they  heard 
the  hoofbeats  of  Nancy  for  several  minutes  after. 

"  This  is  the  worst  yet,"  was  Joe's  comment, 


60  .BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

when  they  were  alone.  "  Those  fellows  are  as 
daring  as  they  are  rascally.  I  never  dreamed 
they  would  come  up  in  that  fashion.  I  wonder 
what  they  would  have  done  if  Leeson  hadn't 
woke  up  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  we  would  all  have  been  murdered,'* 
answered  his  cousin  with  a  shudder.  "  What 
shall  we  do,  now  we  are  dressed  ?  " 

"  That  depends  upon  how  long  Leeson  remains 
away.  I  move  we  remain  on  guard — one  at  the 
front  of  the  cabin  and  the  other  at  the  rear.  If 
we  keep  our  eyes  peeled  they  can't  come  very  close, 
even  though  it  is  dark." 

"  All  right,  Joe.     Keep  your  rifle  handy." 

"  Don't  fear  about  that,  Darry." 

They  were  soon  on  guard,  the  one  on  the  door 
step  and  the  other  near  the  lean-to,  on  a  stump. 
Thus  an  hour  dragged  by.  To  both  it  was  an 
unusually  long  while. 

"  I  don't  see  a  thing,"  said  Darry,  coming  to 
where  his  cousin  rested. 

"  Nor  I,  and  I'm  getting  sleepy.  I  hardly 
think  Leeson  will  be  back  until  morning. 

"  Just  what  I  was  thinking.  Let  us  take  turns 
at  watching.  The  one  on  duty  can  walk  around 
the  cabin  now  and  then,  and  that  wUl  give  each 
of  us  some  sleep." 

This  was  agreed  upon,  and  they  tossed  up,  to  see 


THE  STEALING  OF  THE  HORSES.     6 1 

who  should  go  on  guard  first.  It  fell  to  Darry's 
lot,  and  Joe,  hardly  able  to  keep  his  eyes  open, 
quickly  retired,  without  undressing. 

Darry's  vigil  was  certainly  a  lonely  one,  doubly 
so  because  it  was  new  to  him.  As  he  tramped 
slowly  around  the  cabin,  he  could  not  help  but 
contrast  this  situation  with  the  one  he  was  used  to 
at  home. 

"  I  don't  know  as  I'd  like  to  be  a  night  police 
man  or  a  night-watchman,"  he  reasoned.  '  They 
must  be  awfully  tiresome  jobs.  And  the  city  isn't 
near  as  lonely  as  this,  either,  even  in  the  middle  of 
the  night."  He  drew  a  long  breath  and  looked  at 
his  watch.  "  Gracious,  only  three-quarters  of  an 
hour  gone,  and  I've  got  an  hour  and  a  quarter  still 

to  serve !  How  awfully  slow  it  is !  If  Leeson 

What's  that?" 

He  broke  off  short  and  came  to  a  halt,  with  his 
rifle  in  his  hands  and  his  gaze  fixed  on  some  brush 
wood  a  hundred  feet  to  the  rear  of  the  stable.  He 
had  seen  some  dark  object  moving,  but  whether  it 
was  man  or  beast  he  could  not  tell. 

"  It  was  something,  I'm  sure  of  that,"  he  told 
himself,  after  the  object  had  disappeared  from 
view.  "  If  it  was  a  man  he  must  have  been  crawl 
ing  on  hands  and  knees." 

He  wondered  if  he  had  better  awaken  Joe,  but 
hesitated,  knowing  how  sleepy  his  cousin  was. 


62  BO YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Perhaps  the  object  would  go  away — if  it  was  a 
wild  beast. 

Keeping  his  eyes  on  the  spot,  Darry  waited 
what  seemed  to  him  a  long  time,  but  which  was 
really  but  a  few  minutes.  Then  slowly  the 
bushes  parted  and  the  object  came  forth,  with  eyes 
that  gleamed  fitfully  even  in  that  darkness. 

"A  mountain  wolf!"  muttered  the  boy. 
"  Well,  I'm  glad  it  isn't  one  of  those  desperadoes." 

Taking  up  a  stone  he  hurled  it  at  the  wolf,  at 
the  same  time  shouting  to  the  beast  to  go  away. 
At  once  the  wolf  turned  tail  and  disappeared 
whence  it  had  come. 

"  Did  you  call  ?  "  came  sleepily  from  Joe. 

"There's  a  wolf  in  the  bushes  back  of  the 
cabin,"  returned  Darry. 

"  Does  he  want  to  attack  you?  " 

"  I  don't  know.  I  just  threw  a  stone  at  him, 
and  he's  slunk  out  of  sight." 

By  this  time  Joe  was  also  outside,  and  the  two 
cousins  waited  for  the  reappearance  of  the  wolf. 

But  the  animal  was  cowardly,  and  did  not  show 
himself  again,  and  presently  Joe  returned  to  bed. 
The  remainder  of  the  night  passed  without  any 
thing  unusual  happening. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ARRIVAL    AT    THE    FORT. 

THE  morning  found  the  two  boys  still  alone. 
The  sun  was  well  up  over  the  eastern  prairie  be 
fore  both  were  dressed,  for  they  had  taken  turns 
at  guarding,  as  agreed,  and  each  had  consequently 
lost  half  his  regular  sleeping  time. 

"  Well,  what's  to  do  now  ?  "  questioned  Darry, 
while  they  were  stirring  around  getting  breakfast. 

"  I  don't  know  of  anything  to  do  but  to  wait 
here  until  we  hear  from  Benson  and  Hank  Lee- 
son/'  answered  his  cousin. 

Breakfast  was  soon  disposed  of,  and  then  they 
sat  down  to  wait,  still  keeping  their  firearms  close 
to  hand,  in  case  of  unexpected  attack.  The  meet 
ing  with  the  desperadoes  had  opened  the  boys' 
eyes,  and  they  did  not  intend  to  be  caught  "  nap^- 
ping  "  no  matter  what  else  happened. 

Shortly  before  ten  o'clock  Joe  espied  three 
horsemen  coming  down  the  trail  which  led  to  the 
fort.  Both  watched  the  approaching  riders  with 
interest,  and  presently  saw  that  they  were  soldiers. 
One  wore  the  uniform  of  a  lieutenant,  and  the 
others  were  privates. 

63 


64  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  You  are  from  the  fort?  "  cried  Joe,  running 
forward  to  meet  them. 

"  Yes,"  was  the  answer  from  the  lieutenant. 
"  Which  of  you  is  Josaph  Moore?  " 

"lam."  " 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  you,  Moore.  Your 
brother,  the  captain,  and  I  are  great  friends.  I 
am  Lieutenant  Richard  Carrol." 

"  Oh,  I've  heard  of  you,"  answered  Joe,  smil 
ing.  "  Will  has  often  mentioned  his  chum,  Dick 
Carrol,  in  his  letters.  This  is  my  cousin,  Darry 
Germain.  Did  old  Benson  reach  the  fort  last 
night?" 

"  He  did,"  answered  Lieutenant  Carrol,  as  he 
shook  hands  with  both  boys.  "  And  your  brother 
and  a  detachment  of  Company  A  have  gone  out  to 
look  for  Matt  Gilroy  and  his  gang.  Benson  went 
with  them,  and  I  was  asked  to  come  down  here 
and  escort  you  to  the  fort." 

"  If  my  brother  wants  to  round  up  Gilroy's 
gang  he  should  have  come  here,"  said  Joe.  "  The 
rascals  were  here  last  night  and  stole  our  three 
horses." 

"  Is  it  possible !     And  where  is  Hank  Leeson  ?  " 

"  He  went  after  them  on  his*  horse,  the  only  one 
they  didn't  get.  We  are  looking  for  his  return  at 
any  moment.  We  promised  to  watch  the  cabin 
until  he  got  back." 


ARRIVAL  AT   THE  FORT.  6$ 

"  I  see."  The  lieutenant  turned  to  the  privates. 
"  Men,  you  may  dismount  and  tie  up  the  horses 
for  the  present.  We  won't  be  going  back  just 
yet." 

Lieutenant  Carrol  leaped  to  the  ground,  and 
one  of  the  privates  took  charge  of  his  steed.  The 
young  officer  was  a  handsome  fellow,  with  a  smil 
ing  face,  and  both  Joe  and  Darry  took  to  him  at 
once. 

"  Yes,  Captain  Moore  and  I  are  great  friends," 
he  said.  "  You  see,  we  went  through  West  Point 
together,  and  we  have  been  more  or  less  together 
ever  since.  He  has  often  told  me  about  you  two 
fellows,  so  I  feel  as  if  I've  known  you  for  a  long 
while."  He  looked  at  Joe.  "  You  must  have 
had  quite  an  adventure  with  those  desperadoes  at 
the  cave." 

"  I  did  have,"  answered  Joe.  "  I  hope  my 
brother  and  the  others  round  them  up.  Do  you 
know  if  they  came  anywhere  near  here?  " 

"  No,  they  struck  off  on  another  trail — the  one 
the  quartermaster  is  expected  to  use.  You  see, 
he  is  to  come  in  to-morrow  with  that  money." 

'  To-morrow !  Then  they'll  have  time  to  warn 
him." 

'  That  depends  upon  circumstances.  The 
quartermaster  is  an  odd  sort  of  a  fellow,  and 
sometimes  changes  his  mind  about  routes.  He 


66  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

may  come  in  the  way  we  expect,  and  he  may  take 
some  entirely  different  trail." 

"  We  can't  say  when  Leeson  will  be  back,"  put 
in  Darry.  "  But  it  seems  to  me  it  is  our  duty  to 
stay  here  until  he  returns;  don't  you  think  so, 
Joe?" 

"  I  do,  Darry.  But  he  will  probably  be  back 
before  long." 

It  was  only  a  few  minutes  later  when  one  of  the 
privates  came  forward  with  the  information  that 
a  man  was  coming  through  the  underbrush  skirt 
ing  the  timber.  It  was  Hank  Leeson,  and  he  held 
his  mare  to  a  walk,  for  Nancy  was  all  but  ex 
hausted. 

"Mornin',  lieutenant!"  he  called  out,  as  he 
drew  closer  and  saluted.  "  Come  for  them  boys, 
I  reckon." 

"I  did,  Leeson.  They  tell  me  you've  been 
after  the  gang.  What  luck?  " 

Hank  Leeson  shook  his  head  dubiously. 
"  Reckon  I  didn't  have  any  luck,  lieutenant.  Got 
one  shot,  but  if  I  hit  it  didn't  count  much.  They 
had  the  best  o'  me  in  the  timber,  and  they  got 
away,  not  only  with  the  bosses  belonging  to  the 
boys  an*  Benson,  but  likewise  with  their  own, 
which  they  had  tethered  in  a  hollow  not  far  away." 

"  Then  our  horses  are  gone!  "  cried  Darry,  his 
face  falling. 


ARRIVAL  AT   THE  FORT.  67 

"Thet's  it,  lad.  I'm  sorry,  but  I  did  my 
best" 

"  Oh,  I  don't  blame  you,  Leesoh.  But — but  if 
we  haven't  any  horses,  how  are  we  to  get  to  the 
fort?" 

"Wejll  take  turns  at  carrying  you,"  replied 
Lieutenant  Carrol. 

Hank  Leeson  was  as  worn  out  as  his  mare,  and 
while  one  of  the  soldiers  cared  for  Nancy  the  old 
trapper  sank  down  on  his  doorstep  and  told  his 
story.  He  had  followed  the  desperadoes  up  hill 
and  down  for  fifteen  miles,  and  gotten  one  shot  at 
Fetter,  which,  he  believed,  had  struck  the  rascal  in 
the  arm.  But  the  party  had  turned  on  the  trail 
while  passing  through  a  wide  patch  of  timber- 
land,  and  on  coming  out  at  the  other  side  he  had 
been  unable  to  locate  them  again.  Then,  as  it 
was  almost  morning,  he  had  thought  best  to  re 
turn  to  his  cabin,  to  ascertain  how  the  boys  were 
faring. 

"  Which  road  were  they  near  when  you  saw 
them  last?  "  asked  Lieutenant  Carrol. 

"  Over  at  Hunk  water's  Rock,"  answered  Lee- 
son.  "  Moving  toward  the  Knob." 

"  Humph !  Then  I  am  afraid  Captain  Moore 
won't  round  them  up  very  quickly." 

"  My  brother  didn't  go  near  that  trail?  "  ques 
tioned  Joe. 


68  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  No,  he's  on  a  trail  three  miles  further  north. 
Still,  the  desperadoes  may  turn  north." 

"  That's  so,"  said  Leeson. 

As  there  was  nothing  to  keep  them  at  the  cabin, 
the  boys  were  now  anxious  to  move  on  to  the 
fort,  and  a  short  while  later  Lieutenant  Carrol  set 
off.  One  private  carried  Joe  and  the  other 
Darry;  and,  as  the  horses  were  powerful  beasts, 
good  progress  was  made. 

"  Hurrah !  The  fort !  "  cried  Joe,  as  he  caught 
sight  of  a  large  flag  waving  in  the  distance.  He 
was  right;  and  soon  they  could  see  the  tall 
stockade  quite  plainly.  It  was  three  hundred 
feet  long  by  two  hundred  feet  wide,  and  sur 
rounded  by  a  ditch  twelve  feet  deep.  Inside  of 
the  stockade  were  the  fort  proper  and  a  dozen 
other  buildings,  including  the  officers'  quarters, 
the  men's  quarters,  the  messroom,  hospital,  and 
the  gymnasium,  and  also  a  good-sized  stable. 

"  Why,  it's  a  regular  town  in  itself !  "  mur 
mured  Darry,  when  they  got  inside. 

"  That's  right,  a  town  of  exactly  two  hundred 
and  seventy-five  people,"  answered  the  lieutenant. 
"  And  of  that  number  two  hundred  and  sixty  are 
soldiers  belonging  to  three  companies,  three  are 
officers'  wives,  two  are  Indian  scouts,  and  the 
rest  are  cooks  and  other  helpers." 

Colonel  Fairfield,  a  tall,  dignified  old  officer, 


ARRIVAL  AT   THE  FORT.  69 

had  been  told  of  their  approach,  and  how  came 
from  the  officers'  quarters  to  meet  them. 

"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  boys,"  he  said,  as  he 
shook  hands  warmly.  "  If  the  story  Benson  told 
is  true  you  have  had  quite  a  few  adventures  in 
reaching  here.  I  am  sorry  your  brother  is  not 
here  to  meet  you,  Joseph;  but  he  was  anxious  to 
go  after  the  Gilroy  gang,  and  I  let  him  have  his 
way." 

"  You  haven't  heard  about  all  of  our  adven 
tures,  colonel,"  said  Darry,  and  told  of  the  stolen 
horses. 

"  Worse  and  worse !  "  returned  the  colonel, 
stroking  his  mustache  thoughtfully.  "  That 
groves  that  the  gang — or  what  is  left  of  it — is  as 
desperate  as  ever.  Those  fellows  will  never  give 
up  until  they  are  either  arrested  or  shot  down." 

"  I  hope  my  brother  doesn't  get  into  trouble 
with  them,"  said  Joe  anxiously. 

"  Well,  a  soldier  has  to  take  some  risks,  my 
boy.  But  Captain  Moore  is  as  shrewd  as  he  is 
brave,  so  you  need  not  fear  for  his  safety.  Come 
right  in;  Mrs.  Fairfield  will  be  glad  to  see  you. 
She  wants  to  hear  from  all  the  folks  at  home." 

The  boys  followed  the  old  officer  into  the  quar 
ters,  and  here  received  an  equally  warm  greeting 
from  Mrs.  Fairfield,  whom  they  had  met  in 
Chicago.  Dinner  was  soon  served,  and  while  the 


70  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

lads  were  satisfying  the  inner  man  they  .had  to  tell 
their  whole  story  over  again,  and  also  tell  all  the 
news  from  home. 

"  While  you  are  here,  boys,  you  must  make 
yourselves  perfectly  at  ease,"  said  the  colonel. 
"  I  know  your  fathers  will  expect  me  to  be  a 
father  to  you.  As  for  Captain  Moore,  I  will 
allow  him  to  be  with  you  as  much  as  military  dis 
cipline  permits." 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE    RESULT    OF    A    SWIM. 

To  the  boys,  who  had  never  visited  a  military 
quarters  before,  the  fort  proved  of  great  interest, 
and  they  were  glad,  after  the  meal  was  over,  to 
have  Lieutenant  Carrol  take  them  around.  This 
occupied  some  time,  and  when  they  had  finished  it 
was  time  for  the  evening  parade. 

This  was  quite  an  affair,  and  the  two  lads 
joined  the  ladies  of  the  place  to  witness  it. 
Everybody  turned  out,  in  uniform  as  clean  as 
possible,  on  inspection.  The  drums  rolled,  the 
fifers  struck  up  a  lively  air,  and  the  three  com 
panies,  headed  by  a  major,  marched  around  the 
stockade  several  times  and  then  to  the  parade- 
ground  in  front  of  the  gates.  Here  the  command 
went  through  the  manual  of  arms  and  through  a 
number  of  fancy  evolutions. 

"It's  splendid!"  murmured  Joe.  "Every 
thing  moves  like  clockwork." 

"  It  makes  me  almost  wish  to  be  a  soldier,"  an 
swered  Darry.  "  But  if  a  fellow  had  this  day  in 


72  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

and  day  out  I  am  afraid  he  would  grow  tired 
of  it." 

"  You  are  right,  Darry,"  said  Mrs.  Fairfield. 
'  The  colonel  has  to  think  up  a  great  number  of 
things  whereby  to  interest  his  men.  They  get  up 
all  sorts  of  contests,  and  concerts  and  theatricals, 
and  go  hunting  when  they  can  get  the  chance — 
anything  to  keep  them  from  growing  too  dull." 

"  Have  they  had  any  real  military  duty  to  do 
lately?"  asked  Joe. 

"  Not  for  over  a  year.  Then  the  Modoc  In 
dians  got  up  a  sun-dance,  and  they  had  to  march 
over  to  Kedahmina  and  stop  it.  Two  Indians 
were  killed  and  one  soldier  was  badly  wounded. 
Since  that  time  the  Indians  have  been  quiet." 

"  But  the  Indians  may  rise  again." 

"  Probably  they  will — one  is  never  sure  of 
them.  As  one  old  general  has  said,  *  The  only 
safe  Indian  is  the  dead  Indian.' ' 

The  boys  were  assigned  to  a  small  room  next 
to  that  occupied  by  Captain  Moore  and  Lieu 
tenant  Carrol.  The  apartment  was  neatly  fur 
nished  with  iron  cots,  an  iron  washstand,  and  a 
small  wardrobe  for  extra  clothing.  Fortunately 
the  extra  clothing  they  had  carried  had  not  been 
stolen,  so  they  were  not  as  bad  off  as  they  would 
otherwise  have  been. 

Joe  was  anxious  to  hear  from  his  brother  Will, 


THE  RESULT  OF  A    SWIM.  73 

but  had  to  be  patient.  Yet  he  was  not  greatly 
worried,  for  he  was  almost  certain  that  the  sol 
diers  would  fail  to  fall  in  with  the  desperadoes, 
each  having  taken  a  different  trail. 

The  day  following  their  arrival  the  boys  fell  in 
with  several  soldiers  who  were  going  fishing  up  a 
mountain  stream  not  far  away,  having  obtained 
special  leave  of  absence  for  that  purpose.  The 
soldiers,  who  were  named  Biggs,  Ferry,  and  Lam 
bert,  were  glad  enough  to  have  the  boys  for  com 
pany. 

"  We'll  show  you  some  good  sport,"  said  Lam 
bert,  who  proved  to  be  something  of  a  leader. 
"  No  better  fish  in  these  parts  than  those  you  can 
catch  in  Rocky  Pass  River." 

The  boys  had  no  fishing-tackle,  but  Lieutenant 
Carrol  fitted  them  out,  and  soon  the  party  was  on 
the  way.  The  soldiers  were  to  be  gone  but  four 
hours,  and  so  struck  out  at  a  gait  that  taxed  Joe 
and  Darry  to  the  utmost  to  keep  up  with  them. 

"  It's  the  air  does  it,"  explained  Biggs,  when 
Darry  spoke  about  the  speed.  "  After  you've 
been  out  here  a  while  you'll  eat  like  a  horse  and 
feel  like  walking  ten  miles  every  morning  before 
breakfast.  I  tell  you,  the  air  is  wonderful." 

"  It  certainly  is  bracing,"  answered  Darry. 
"  I  noticed  that  as  soon  as  we  began  to  climb  the 
foothills." 


74  SOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

A  walk  of  half  an  hour  brought  them  to  Rocky 
Pass  River,  and  they  journeyed  along  the  bank 
until  they  came  to  a  favorite  fishing-hole. 

"  Here  we  are,"  said  Lambert.  "  Now  for  the 
first  fish!" 

"  Ten  cents  to  whoever  catches  it! "  cried  Joe, 
and  placed  a  shining  dime  on  a  nearby  tree  stump. 
At  this  the  three  soldiers  laughed. 

"  That  dime  is  mine,"  declared  Ferry,  who  was 
the  first  to  throw  in. 

"  Perhaps,"  answered  Biggs.  "  But  I  reckon 
I've  got  just  as  good  a  chance  now." 

"  Here  I  come,"  put  in  Lambert,  and  threw 
over  his  friends'  heads.     Hardly  had  his  bait  gone 
down  than  he  felt  a  tug  and  whipped  in  a  little 
fish  not  over  six  inches  long. 
"Mine!"  he  cried. 

"It  isn't  worth  ten  cents!"  cried  Biggs  and 
Ferry;  nevertheless  Lambert  pocketed  the  coin, 
amid  a  general  laughing. 

The  boys  now  went  to  a  spot  a  little  above  where 
the  soldiers  were  fishing,  and  set  to  work  on  their 
own  lines.  Just  as  Ferry  announced  a  fine  haul, 
they  threw  in,  and  soon  everybody  in  the  party 
was  busy,  bringing  in  several  kinds  of  fish,  big  and 
little,  including  some  fine  trout  of  a  variety  the 
boys  had  not  before  seen. 

Inside  of  an  hour  everybody  had  all  the  fish  he 


THE  RESULT  OF  A    SWIM.  75 

wanted,  and  then  the  soldiers  said  they  were  going 
to  take  a  swim.  The  boys  were  willing,  and 
soon  the  whole  crowd  were  in  the  water,  calling 
out  and  laughing  and  having  a  good  time 
generally. 

"  Don't  go  too  far  down  the  stream,"  cautioned 
Lambert.  "  The  falls  are  below,  and  you  might 
get  caught  in  the  rapids." 

"  All  right,  we'll  surely  remember,"  answered 
Joe. 

"  I'll  race  you  across  the  river  and  back,"  said 
Darry,  a  little  later. 

"  Done!  "  cried  Joe.     "  To  what  point?  " 

"  To  that  willow  hanging  down  near  the  big 
rock." 

So  it  was  agreed,  and  in  a  minute  both  boys 
were  off.  They  were  good  swimmers,  and  the 
race  interested  the  soldiers,  so  that  they  gave  up 
sporting  around  to  watch  the  result. 

At  this  point  the  stream  widened  out  to  nearly 
two  hundred  feet,  so  the  race  was  not  a  particu 
larly  short  one.  The  water  ran  quite  swiftly,  and 
they  soon  found  they  had  to  swim  partly  up  stream 
to  prevent  being  carried  below  the  willow. 

Darry  made  the  mark  first,  and,  touching  the 
willow,  started  on  the  return.  Joe  was  close  be 
hind,  and  now  it  became  a  neck-and-neck  race 
between  them. 


7 6  BO YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Go  it,  boys !  "  shouted  Lambert.  "  Do  your 
best!" 

"  I  bet  on  Joe/'  said  Ferry. 

"  I  bet  on  Darry,"  added  Biggs. 

Hardly  had  the  wager  been  made  when  Joe  shot 
ahead.  Slowly  but  surely  he  drew  away  from  his 
cousin. 

While  the  sport  was  going  on  nobody  had  no 
ticed  a  large  tree  that  was  drifting  rapidly  down 
the  middle  of  the  river.  Now,  however,  Lambert 
saw  the  danger. 

"Look  out!"  he  cried  wildly.  "Look  out! 
A  tree  is  coming  down  upon  you !  " 

Joe  heard  the  cry,  and  looking  up  the  stream 
managed  to  get  out  of  the  way  of  the  big  piece  of 
driftwood.  But  Darry  was  not  so  fortunate,  and 
in  a  twinkling  the  youth  was  struck  and  carried 
out  of  sight. 

This  accident  came  so  quickly  that  for  the  mo 
ment  nobody  knew  what  to  do. 

"Darry!  Darry!"  cried  Joe.  "Where  are 
you?" 

"  He  went  under!  "  shouted  Lambert.  "  The 
tree  branches  struck  him  on  the  head." 

"  He'll  be  drowned !  "  gasped  Biggs.  "  What 
shall  we  do?" 

By  this  time  the  tree  had  drifted  past  the  point 
where  the  soldiers  were  stationed.  Joe  had  now 


THE  RESULT  OF  A    SWIM.  77 

struck  bottom  with  his  feet,  and  at  once  went 
ashore. 

"  We  must  do  something!  "  he  panted.  "  We 
can't  let  Darry  be  drowned !  " 

"  He  must  be  caught  under  the  branches/'  said 
Lambert.  "  As  the  tree  hit  him  it  turned  partly 
over.  Perhaps There  is  his  foot !  " 

He  pointed  to  the  tree — and  there,  sure  enough, 
was  Barry's  left  foot,  kicking  wildly  above  the 
surface  of  the  river.  Then  the  boy's  head  came 
up,  but  only  for  a  moment. 

"Save  me!"  he  spluttered,  and  immediately 
disappeared. 

"  This  is  awful !  "  groaned  Joe.  "  Can't  we 
throw  a  fishing-line  over  the  tree  and  haul  it 
ashore?" 

"  A  good  idea !  "  answered  Lambert.  "  We'll 
take  two  lines." 

He  caught  up  the  fishing-tackle,  and  lines  in 
hand  ran  along  the  river  bank  until  he  was  below 
the  tree.  The  others  followed,  and  helped  him 
to  get  the  lines  into  shape.  Then  a  quick  cast 
was  made,  but  the  lines  fell  short. 

"  Too  bad !  "  came  from  Joe.  "  Quick,  try 
once  more!  " 

'  The  tree  is  turning  over  again ! "  shouted 
Biggs,  and  he  was  right.  As  some  other 
branches  came  into  view,  they  beheld  Darry, 


?8  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

caught  in  a  crotch  and  held  there  as  if  in  a 
vise. 

Another  cast  was  made,  and  then  a  third,  but 
all  in  vain.  Then  the  tree,  with  its  helpless  vic 
tim,  moved  forward  more  rapidly  than  ever,  in  the 
direction  of  the  roaring  falls,  which  were  but  a 
short  distance  off. 


CHAPTER  XL 

SOMETHING    ABOUT    DRILLING. 

"  DARRY  is  lost !  Nothing  can  save  him  now !  " 

Such  was  the  agonizing  thought  which  rushed 
through  Joe's  brain  as  he  watched  the  progress  of 
the  drifting  tree  as  it  moved  swiftly  toward  the 
falls  of  Rocky  Pass  River. 

He  knew  the  falls  to  be  over  thirty  feet  high. 
At  the  bottom  was  a  boiling  pool  which  sent  up  a 
continual  shower  of  spray.  Nobody  entering  that 
pool  could  survive. 

Darry,  too,  realized  his  peril,  and  continued  to 
call  for  help.  Had  he  been  able  to  loosen  himself 
he  would  have  leaped  into  the  water,  but  he  was 
weak  and  helpless,  and  his  voice  could  scarcely  be 
heard  above  the  rushing  of  the  rapids. 

Joe  and  the  three  soldiers  continued  to  run 
along  the  river  bank,  over  rough  rocks  that  cut 
their  feet  and  through  bushes  which  scratched 
them  in  scores  of  places.  At  last  they  came  out 
on  a  point  directly  above  the  falls. 

The  tree  still  spun  on,  and  Joe  closed  his  eyes 
to  shut  out  the  sight  of  what  was  to  follow. 

19 


8o  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Suddenly  Lambert  let  out  a  shout : 

"  The  tree  is  caught !  It  has  stopped  mov 
ing!  " 

Again  Joe  looked,  and  he  saw  that  what  the  sol 
dier  said  was  true.  The  under  branches  of  the 
drifting  tree  had  hit  some  sharp  rocks  below  the 
river's  surface,  and  one  branch  had  wedged  itself 
fast. 

This  catching  of  the  driftwood  bent  down  the 
limb  that  held  Darry,  and  soon  they  saw  that  the 
imperiled  boy  was  free  from  the  grip  which  had 
held  him.  But  what  to  do  next  the  lad  did  not 
know.  To  swim  to  the  shore  was  out  of  the 
question. 

"  I— I  can't  make  it,"  he  told  himself,  as  he 
panted  for  breath.  He  was  so  exhausted  that  he 
felt  very  much  like  fainting  away.  But  he  knew 
he  must  keep  his  senses,  or  all  would  be  over  with 
him. 

"  Darry !  Darry !  Are  you  much  hurt  ?  "  called 
out  Joe. 

"Not  much,  but  I — I  can't — swim — ashore!" 
was  the  gasped  out  answer. 

"  I'll  try  the  fishing  lines  again,"  said  Lambert, 
and  prepared  them  once  more.  A  first  cast  did 
not  reach  Darry,  but  a  second  did,  and  he  caught 
the  sinkers  to  the  lines  with  a  good  deal  of  satis 
faction. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  DRILLING.  8 1 

"  Will  they  hold?  "  questioned  Joe. 

"  I  hope  so,"  answered  Lambert.  "  Anyway, 
it's  the  best  we  can  do." 

Letting  the  lines  run  out  as  far  as  possible,  the 
soldiers  and  Joe  moved  up  the  bank  of  the  stream 
to  where  there  was  a  series  of  rocks  projecting 
into  the  water  a  distance  of  several  yards. 

"  Now  brace  me,  and  I  will  haul  in,"  said  Lam 
bert.  Then  he  called  to  Darry  to  help  them  by 
swimming  as  well  as  he  was  able,  with  the  lines 
caught  around  him,  under  the  arms. 

"All  right,  I'm  ready!"  cried  the  boy,  and 
dropped  into  the  stream,  taking  care  to  steer  clear 
of  the  tree. 

Lambert  hauled  in  slowly  but  steadily.  The 
line  straightened  out  and  became  taut,  and  looked 
as  if  it  might  snap  at  any  instant.  Joe's  heart 
came  up  into  his  throat,  and  he  breathed  a  silent 
prayer  that  his  cousin  might  be  saved. 

"  Here  he  comes ! "  muttered  Lambert  at 
length,  and  they  could  see  that  Barry's  feet  at  last 
rested  on  the  sandy  bottom  of  the  river.  They 
continued  to  haul  in,  and  soon  he  was  safe. 
When  on  shore  he  pitched  himself  on  the  grass, 
completely  exhausted. 

"  Oh,  how  glad  I  am!  "  cried  Joe,  as  he  knelt 
beside  his  cousin.  "  I  was  almost  certain  youV 
be  drowned ! " 


82  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"It  was  a  narrow  escape!"  answered  Dairy, 
when  he  could  speak.  "  When  the  tree  first 
struck  me  I  was  almost  stunned,  and  when  I  real 
ized  what  had  happened  I  found  myself  fast  and 
hardly  able  to  budge.  Just  look  there!"  And 
he  showed  a  deep  scratch  on  one  side  of  his  body 
and  a  heavy  red  mark  on  the  other.  "  But  never 
mind,"  he  went  on.  "  I  am  thankful  my  life  was 
spared!" 

It  was  a  sober-minded  party  that  dressed  and 
journeyed  back  to  the  fort,  Joe  carrying  both  his 
own  fish  and  those  his  cousin  had  caught. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  will  end  fishing  and  swim 
ming  for  a  while,"  said  Biggs.  "  The  soldiers 
never  go  near  the  falls,  for  they  all  know  the  dan 
ger,  but  Colonel  Fairfield  is  too  strict  to  run  any 
chances." 

"  Don't  say  anything  about  the  adventure  on 
the  tree,"  said  Darry. 

"  Will  you  keep  mum?  " 

"  I  will,  and  so  will  you,  won't  you,  Joe?  " 

"  Yes." 

So  it  was  arranged  that  nothing  should  be  said, 
that  the  soldiers'  little  recreation  might  not  be 
interfered  with,  for  both  boys  saw  that  they  had 
little  pleasure  at  the  best. 

"  A  fine  haul  for  you  boys! "  said  Lieutenant 
Carrol,  as  he  surveyed  the  catch.  "  I  must  go 


"AT   LAST    HE    PUT   THE   GUNS    IN    THEIR    HANDS    AND    LET   THEM 

MARCH    WITH    THE    PIECKS." — P.   84. 
Boys  of  the  Fort 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  DRILLING.  »3 

myself  and  try  my  luck.  I  haven't  been  n>hing 
this  summer." 

"  It's  a  splendid  place  for  bites,"  said  Joe. 

"  I  know  it.  But  you  have  to  be  careful  up 
there.  There's  a  nasty  fall  in  the  river.  If  you 
went  over  that  you'd  never  come  out  alive." 

"  Yes,  we  saw  the  fall,"  answered  Darry,  and 
gave  a  shudder  in  spite  of  himself. 

Again  at  sunset  there  was  a  parade,  similar  to 
that  of  the  day  before.  After  it  was  over  the 
boys  procured  guns  and  had  Lambert  put  them 
through  their  "  paces,"  as  he  called  it. 

"  First  we'll  drill  a  bit  without  guns,"  said  the 
old  soldier,  for  Lambert  had  seen  sixteen  years  of 
service.  "  Toe  this  line,  heads  up,  chest  out,  and 
little  fingers  on  the  seams  of  your  trousers. 
That's  all  right.  Now  then,  Eyes  Right! 
When  I  say  that  turn  your  eyes  to  the  right,  but 
don't  move  your  faces.  Now,  Eyes  Front! 
That's  good.  Eyes  Left !  Eyes  Front !  That's 
first-rate." 

"  But  we're  not  moving,"  said  Darry. 

"  Now  we'll  move.  Watch  me.  Right  Face ! 
Do  you  see  how  it's  done?  Balance  on  the  heel, 
this  way,  and  swing  around.  Now  then,  Right 
Face!" 

The  two  boys  came  around  like  well-trained  old 
soldiers. 


84  BOYS  OP   THE  FORT. 

"  Good,  boys,  good.  Now  then,  Front  Face ! 
Good.  Left  Face!  That's  not  so  well.  Front 
Face!  Now  here's  another,  About  Face!  " 

So  the  drilling  went  on,  until  the  boys  could 
move  as  Lambert  wished  them  to.  Then  they 
began  to  march  and  to  wheel  right  and  left.  At 
last  he  put  the  guns  in  their  hands  and  let  them 
march  with  the  pieces,  and  then  showed  them  the 
manual  of  anus. 

:<  You'll  learn  in  no  time,"  said  the  old  soldier, 
when  his  off  time  came  to  an  end.  :<  You've 
crowded  a  dozen  lessons  into  one." 

"  And  I  feel  it,"  said  Darry.  "  I'm  going  in 
to  rest."  And  he  went,  followed  by  Joe.  All 
told,  the  boys  had  enjoyed  the  drill  very  much. 

Joe  was  somewhat  worried  when  bedtime  came 
and  still  nothing  had  been  heard  of  his  brother. 
Yet  Colonel  Fairfield  told  him  not  to  mind  the 
prolonged  absence. 

"  But  should  not  your  quartermaster  be  here?  " 
asked  the  boy. 

"  He  may  come  in  to-morrow  morning,"  an 
swered  the  colonel. 

The  next  day  dawned  cloudy,  and  by  noon  a 
steady  rain  was  falling.  The  boys  hardly  knew 
what  to  do,  and,  after  watching  a  drill  and  some 
performances  in  the  gymnasium,  went  back  to  the 
living  quarters.  They  had  hardly  entered  when 


SOMETHING  ABOUT  DRILLING.  85 

there  came  a  shout  from  the  guard  at  the 
stockade. 

"  Captain  Moore  is  coming,  with  the  quarter 
master  !  "  was  the  cry. 

"  Hurrah,  it's  Will !  "  shouted  Joe,  and  ran  out 
despite  the  rain  to  welcome  his  brother. 

Soon  the  soldiers  came  up,  mud-stained  and 
tired.  They  embraced  half  of  Company  A,  and 
in  their  midst  was  the  quartermaster  of  the  regi 
ment,  with  two  attendants.  Each  of  these  three 
carried  heavy  saddle-bags,  filled  with  government 
money  for  the  soldiers,  for  payday  was  now  due. 

"  Joe!  "  cried  Captain  Moore,  as  he  dismounted 
and  caught  his  brother  by  the  hand.  "  I  am  glad 
to  see  you  safe  and  sound." 

"  And  I  am  glad  to  see  you,"  answered  Joe. 

"  I  will  be  with  you  soon — I  must  first  report 
to  Colonel  Fairfield,"  went  on  the  young  officer, 
and  lost  no  time  in  seeking  the  commandant. 

His  story  was  soon  told,  and  it  speedily  spread 
to  all  parts  of  the  fort.  Along  with  his  men  and 
old  Benson  he  had  looked  in  vain  for  the  Gilroy 
gang  for  a  whole  day.  Then  he  had  come  upon 
them  just  as  they  were  preparing  for  an  attack 
upon  the  quartermaster  and  his  escort.  The  gang 
had  numbered  eight,  and  in  the  fight  which  had 
followed  two  of  the  crowd  had  been  wounded,  al 
though  all  had  made  their  escape  by  swimming 


86  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

their  steeds  over  a  dangerous  mountain  torrent. 
Of  the  soldiers  three  had  been  wounded,  one  man 
quite  seriously.  The  young  captain  had  received 
a  bullet  through  his  hat. 

"  It  was  Matt  Gilroy  himself  who  fired  that 
shot,"  said  Captain  Moore.  "  And  I  won't  forget 
it  when  next  we  meet." 

Old  Benson  had  been  in  the  thickest  of  the  fight 
from  beginning  to  end,  and  it  was  he  who  had 
wounded  one  of  the  desperadoes  while  the  fellow 
was  in  the  act  of  carrying  off  one  of  the  money 
bags.  The  rascals  had  fought  hard  over  that 
money-bag,  but  in  the  end  had  been  compelled  to 
drop  everything  and  ride  to  save  their  lives. 

As  soon  as  Captain  Moore  had  made  his  report, 
another  detachment  was  sent  out,  to  follow  the 
desperadoes,  if  they  could  be  found.  This  detach 
ment  was  fifty  strong  and  under  the  leadership  of 
Lieutenant  Carrol.  The  lieutenant  was  a  man 
who  had  met  numerous  desperadoes  in  his  time, 
and  it  was  felt  that  he  could  do  the  work  much 
better  than  the  average  soldier. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

DEER    HUNTING. 

WITH  his  brother  at  hand,  Joe  felt  much  more 
at  home  than  formerly,  and  the  captain's  presence 
also  made  a  difference  to  his  cousin.  Old  Benson 
remained  at  the  fort  for  the  time  being,  and  did 
what  he  could  to  please  the  boys. 

He  took  an  especial  interest  in  their  shooting-, 
and  would  often  set  up  a  target  on  the  prairie  for 
them  to  practice  on. 

"  You'll  do  first-rate  in  a  little  while,"  he  said. 
"  And  as  Lambert  says  you  take  to  drilling,  it 
won't  be  long  afore  you're  both  out-and-out  sol 
diers." 

"  I  don't  know  as  I  care  to  be  a  regular  soldier," 
answered  Darry.  "  I  wouldn't  mind  it  for  a 
while,  but  to  enlist  for  five  years — why,  that's  an 
other  thing." 

"  Lambert  has  enlisted  four  times.  When  his 
time  is  out  he'll  be  in  service  twenty  years." 

"  And  yet  he  is  only  a  private,"  put  in  Joe. 

"  He  is  content,  and  doesn't  want  to  go  any 
higher.  He  likes  the  life,  and  he  told  me  not 

87 


88  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

long  ago  that  he  wouldn't  know  what  to  do  with 
himself  if  he  was  out  of  Uncle  Sam's  employ." 

One  day  after  another  passed,  until  the  boys 
had  been  at  the  fort  a  little  over  a  week.  They 
how  knew  the  drills  and  the  "  time-card  "  as  well 
as  anybody,  and  often  practiced  on  the  apparatus 
in  the  gymnasium. 

"  It's  not  so  bad,  after  you  once  get  used  to  it," 
said  Joe.  "  The  men  are  a  good  deal  of  company 
for  each  other." 

"  It's  odd  to  see  so  many  men  and  so  few 
women,"  returned  Darry. 

"  Some  of  the  men  don't  want  any  women 
around,  so  I've  been  told.  They  are  like  some  of 
the  old-time  miners  who  used  to  move  out  of  camp 
as  soon  as  a  dress-skirt  showed  itself." 

One  day  Captain  Moore  and  old  Benson  got 
permission  to  go  off  on  a  hunt,  and  took  the  boys 
along.  All  of  the  party  were  mounted,  and  each 
carried  a  saddle-bag  with  part  of  the  necessary 
camping  outfit. 

"  If  it's  possible  to  do  so,  I'll  show  you  some 
big  game,"  announced  the  old  scout.  "  Although 
I'll  allow  big  game  is  mighty  scarce,  even  in  these 
parts." 

"Have  the  hunters  shot  down  everything?" 
asked  Joe. 

"  A  good  bit,  lade     You  see,  many  used  to  come 


DEER  HUNTING.  $9 

out  here  just  to  shoot  for  the  sake  of  killing.  I've 
known  a  party  of  six  men  to  kill  twenty  or  thirty 
buffalo  and  then  leave  the  carcasses  to  the  wolves. 
That  was  a  shame." 

"So  it  was!"  cried  Darry.  "One  or  two 
buffalo  would  have  been  enough." 

"  Some  hunters  never  know  when  to  stop,"  put 
in  Captain  Moore.  "  They  shoot  as  long  as  any 
thing  shows  itself.  If  it  wasn't  for  that  these 
hills  would  be  filled  with  buffalo,  deer,  bears,  and 
all  other  kind  of  game." 

The  morning  was  clear  and  cool,  and  everybody 
in  the  party  was  in  the  best  of  spirits.  The  course 
was  down  into  a  broad  valley,  in  the  middle  of 
which  flowed  the  Rocky  Pass  River,  and  then  up 
a  series  of  hills  leading  to  Tom  Long  Mountain — 
a  favorite  resort  in  this  territory  for  sportsmen. 

"  Do  you  think  we'll  see  or  hear  anything  of 
those  desperadoes?  "  asked  Joe  of  his  brother,  as 
they  rode  along  side  by  side. 

"  It's  not  likely,"  answered  the  young  captain. 
"  As  soon  as  they  learn  that  the  soldiers  are  after 
them  they'll  take  to  their  heels  in  double-quick 
order.  They  haven't  any  taste  for  meeting  our 
regulars." 

"  It's  queer  that  this  Matt  Gilroy  should  go  in 
for  this  sort  of  life — if  he  is  as  well  educated  as 
you  say." 


90  BO YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Some  men  don't  like  anything  better,  Joe — 
they  wouldn't  earn  their  living  honestly  if  they 
could.  It's  queer  that  this  is  so,  but  it's  a  fact. 
Those  men  have  no  regular  homes,  although  many 
often  talk  of  settling  down.  Generally  they  die 
with  their  boots  on,  as  the  saying  goes." 

By  noon  the  party  had  covered  fifteen  miles  and 
were  well  into  the  hills.  They  came  to  a  rest  be 
side  a  fine  spring  which  flowed  from  a  split  in  the 
rocks.  Near  at  hand  was  some  dense  brushwood, 
and  old  Benson  rightfully  guessed  that  it  would 
not  be  difficult  to  beat  up  some  birds. 

"  You  can  now  try  your  luck  at  aiming,"  he 
said  to  the  boys,  and  led  the  way  into  the  dense 
growth.  Soon  a  flock  of  birds  arose  directly  be 
fore  them,  and  both  Darry  and  Joe  took  a  quick 
shot,  bringing  down  seven  of  the  quarry.  Then 
the  scout  fired,  and  five  other  birds  dropped. 

"  Pretty  good  for  a  starter!  "  cried  old  Benson, 
as  they  stalked  around  picking  up  the  game. 
"  That  target  practice  has  made  you  both  pretty 
steady.  Just  a  round  dozen,  all  told.  That's  a- 
plenty  for  dinner,  I  reckon." 

Captain  Moore  was  also  pleased  when  told  of 
what  his  brother  and  his  cousin  had  accomplished. 
"You'll  make  great  hunters  in  time,"  he  said. 
"  The  main  thing  is  to  keep  your  nerve  when  big 
game  confronts  you.  You  know  you  have  the 


DEER  HUNTING.  91 

best  of  a  bird  or  squirrel,  or  anything-  like  that. 
But  when  it  comes  to  a  buffalo,  or  a  bear " 

"  I  know  all  about  bears,"  interrupted  Joe,  and 
at  this  there  was  a  general  laugh.  "  If  I  ever 
meet  another  bear  I  want  to  be  well  prepared  for 
him,"  he  continued. 

"  Generally  a  wild  animal  won't  fight,"  went  on 
the  young  captain.  "  But  when  one  is  cornered 
he  is  apt  to  get  very  ugly;  eh,  Benson?  " 

"  Right  you  are,  captain.  I  was  once  cornered 
by  a  buffalo,  and  had  all  I  could  do  to  save 
myself." 

The  old  scout  calculated  that  they  would  strike 
some  game  that  afternoon,  and  he  was  not  mis 
taken.  About  two  o'clock  they  sighted  several 
deer  far  up  the  hillside. 

"  Fine,  plump  animals,"  said  Benson.  "  If  we 
get  a  couple  of  them  we  can  be  well  satisfied." 

It  was  decided  that  they  should  move  around  in 
a  semicircle,  so  as  to  get  to  leeward  of  the  herd. 

"  If  we  don't  do  that,  the  deer  will  scent  us  and 
be  off  in  no  time,"  explained  Captain  Moore. 

Their  horses  were  tethered  in  the  brush,  near 
some  trees,  and  the  party  of  four  started  out  on 
foot.  The  way  was  rough,  but  the  boys  did  not 
mind  this.  Their  sole  thought  was  upon  the  deer, 
and  each  resolved  to  bring  down  one  of  the  game, 
no  matter  at  what  cost. 


92  BOYS   OF    THE   FORT. 

It  was  no  light  task  to  reach  a  spot  from  which 
to  shoot.  They  had  to  cross  several  depressions 
on  the  hillside,  and  here  the  undergrowth  was  so 
heavy  that  progress  at  times  seemed  impossible. 
Once  Darry  went  into  a  hole  up  to  his  waist,  and 
came  out  with  several  rents  in  his  coat,  where  the 
thorns  had  clung  to  him. 

"  Oh !  "  he  muttered.     "  Oh !  " 

"  Are  you  hurt?  "  questioned  Joe  quickly. 

"  Not  much,  but  I  reckon  I'm  a  good  deal 
scratched  up,"  answered  Darry,  with  a  wry  face. 

At  last  they  gained  a  point  well  to  leeward  of 
the  quarry,  and  Benson  brought  the  party  to  a 
halt. 

"  We'll  creep  in  as  far  as  we  can,"  he  said. 
"  But  keep  your  guns  ready  for  use,  and  as  soon 
as  one  fires  the  others  had  best  fire  too,  for  the  deer 
won't  wait  after  one  shot.  Which  will  you  take, 
captain  ?  " 

"  I'll  take  the  one  near  the  big  rock,"  answered 
Captain  Moore.  "  Joe,  you  had  better  take  the 
one  on  the  knoll." 

"  I  will." 

"I'll  take  the  one  rubbing  his  side  with  his 
prong,"  put  in  Darry. 

"  And  I'll  take  the  one  coming  through  the 
brush,"  finished  old  Benson.  "  Now  then,  for 
ward.  Make  no  noise,  and  be  sure  your  gun 


DEER  HUNTING.  93 

doesn't  go  off  and  hit  somebody  else  instead  of  the 
deer." 

Rifles  in  hand,  they  crept  through  the  under 
brush  and  down  toward  the  glade  in  which  the 
deer  were  feeding. 

The  animals  did  not  become  suspicious  until 
they  were  less  than  a  hundred  yards  away.  Then, 
of  a  sudden,  the  leader  threw  up  his  head  and  be 
gan  to  sniff  the  air. 

"  Now  fire,"  said  Benson  in  a  low  tone. 

At  once  the  four  rifles  came  up,  and  each  hun 
ter  took  steady  aim.  Darry  and  Joe  fired  at  the 
same  instant,  and  the  young  captain  and  Benson 
discharged  their  pieces  immediately  after. 

The  aim  of  the  two  older  hunters  was  true,  and 
two  deer  fell  dead  after  going  less  than  six  steps. 
But  the  other  game  was  only  wounded,  Joe's  deer 
in  the  side  and  Barry's  in  the  flank,  and  they 
bounded  away  up  the  hillside. 

"Missed!"  groaned  Joe,  and  slipped  another 
cartridge  into  his  firearm.  Darry  did  the  same, 
and  both  fired  a  second  time.  Then,  seeing  how 
badly  the  deer  were  wounded,  they  ran  after  the 
animals. 

The  course  of  the  deer  was  straight  for  the 
timber  down  the  mountain-side,  and  through  the 
brush  crashed  quarry  and  boys  until  another  hun 
dred  yards  were  covered.  Then,  coming  to  a 


94  BOYS  Of  THE  FORT. 

rocky  cliff,  and  being  unable  to  leap  to  the  top,  the 
deer  came  to  a  halt. 

"  Do  you  see  'em?  "  panted  Darry,  almost  out 
of  breath  with  running. 

"Yes — there  they  are!"  returned  Joe. 
"See?" 

"I  do.  They  can't  get  up  the  rocks.  Joe, 

we've  got  'em  after  all.  We  must  shoot 

Gracious !  " 

The  boy  broke  off  short,  and  with  good  reason. 
The  deer  had  spotted  them,  and  now  without 
warning  turned  and  ran  straight  for  both,  as  if 
lo  gore  them  to  death ! 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

A    FISH    AND    A    SNAKE. 

"  LOOK  out,  Dairy,  or  he'll  kill  you!  " 

"  Look  out  for  yourself,  Joe !  " 

These  cries  were  followed  by  two  shots,  as  both 
the  young  hunters  discharged  their  weapons. 
But  in  their  haste  the  aim  of  each  was  poor,  and 
the  bullets  flew  wide  of  the  mark.  Then  the 
maddened  deer  came  closer,  and  both  boys  took  to 
their  heels,  running  as  they  had  never  run  before. 

"  Hi !  what's  up?  "  came  in  old  Benson's  voice. 

"  The  deer  are  after  us !  "  yelled  Joe.  "  Shoot 
'em  quick ! " 

Hardly  had  the  lad  spoken  when  he  felt  one  of 
the  deer  close  behind  him.  He  leaped  to  one  side, 
and  the  animal  charged  past  with  great  vigor,  con 
sidering  how  badly  he  was  wounded.  But  that 
charge  was  his  last,  for  Benson's  rifle  spoke  up, 
and  the  animal  fell  lifeless  where  he  stood. 

In  the  meantime  Darry  was  having  his  hands 
full  with  the  second  deer.  The  youth  had  been 
unable  to  reload,  and  now  he  found  himself  in  a 


g6  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

thicket,  with  the  deer  fairly  on  top  of  him.  He 
caught  his  firearm  by  the  barrel  and  hit  the  ani 
mal  a  resounding  blow  on  the  head.  This  made 
the  deer  stagger  back  and  pause. 

"Help!  help!"  yelled  the,  boy.  "Somebody 
shoot  this  beast !  " 

"  I'm  coming !  "  came  in  Captain  Moore's  voice. 
"Where  are  you?" 

"  Here,  in  the  bush !  Quick,  or  he'll  stick  me 
to  death !  " 

The  deer  was  now  charging  with  lowered  head. 
He  was  in  a  fearful  rage.  As  he  came  on  there 
was  a  sharp  report,  and  the  young  captain  burst 
into  view,  his  rifle  barrel  still  smoking.  Then  the 
deer  gave  one  last  leap  into  the  air,  and  came  down 
upon  Darry.  The  fall  knocked  the  boy  sense 
less. 

While  Captain  Moore  was  removing  the  weight 
from  Barry's  body,  the  old  scout  came  up,  fol 
lowed  by  Joe. 

"  Hullo,  he  got  it,  did  he?  "  said  Benson.  "  Is 
he  badly  hurt?" 

"  I  hope  not,"  answered  the  young  captain. 
"  You  see,  the  deer  didn't  touch  him  until  I  fired. 
Then  he  leaped  up  and  knocked  my  cousin 
down." 

"  Hope  there  aint  any  bones  broken." 

The  deer  was  removed,  and  Benson  went  off  to 


A  FISH  AND  A    SNAKE.  97 

get  some  water.  When  he  came  back  Captain 
Moore  and  Joe  were  rubbing  Barry's  wrists.  The 
water  was  dashed  into  the  unconscious  youth's 
face,  and  soon  he  gave  a  gasp  and  opened  his 
eyes. 

"  The  deer?  "  were  his  first  words. 

"  You  are  safe,"  said  the  captain  reassuringly. 
"  The  deer  is  dead." 

"  Oh !  "  Darry  uttered  a  sigh  of  relief.  "  I 
was  thinking  he  was  goring  me  to  pieces." 

"  You  had  a  narrow  escape,"  put  in  old  Benson. 
"  If  it  hadn't  been  for  the  captain  he  would  have 
mauled  you  for  certain.  Didn't  you  hear  me  yell 
to  be  careful?" 

"  I  thought  it  would  be  an  easy  matter  to  bring 
him  down,  after  he  was  wounded,"  said  Darry, 
still  gasping  for  breath. 

"  Any  bones  broken  ?  ''  questioned  Captain 
Moore. 

"  I — I  guess  not."  Darry  gave  a  sigh  and  sat 
up.  "  How  did  Joe  make  out?  " 

"  I  am  all  right,"  answered  that  individual. 
"  Benson  did  the  trick  for  me  though.  Benson, 
I  owe  you  a  good  deal." 

"  And  I  owe  you  a  good  deal,"  said  Darry,  turn 
ing  to  his  cousin. 

"  I'm  glad  I  came  up,  Darry,"  answered  the 
young  captain.  "  After  this  both  you  and  Joe 


98  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

must  be  more  careful.  If  either  of  you  had  been 
killed  I  would  never  have  forgiven  myself  for 
bringing  you  out  on  the  hunt." 

"  I  want  to  give  you  both  a  bit  of  advice,  and  I 
want  you  to  remember  it  too,"  came  from  the  old 
scout.  "  Never  get  too  close  to  big  game  until 
you  are  certain  of  what  you  are  doing,  and  be 
extry  careful  of  big  game  that  is  wounded  and 
cornered.  Even  a  sneaking  fox  will  turn  oh  you 
if  he  sees  there  is  no  other  way  out  of  his 
difficulty." 

"  I'll  remember  that,"  answered  both  Joe  and 
Darry,  and  they  did  remember,  and  thus  was  one 
peril  of  big-game  hunting  abolished. 

Darry  felt  too  weak  for  the  time  being  to  do 
much,  so  Joe  led  him  back  to  where  they  had  left 
the  horses,  while  Captain  Moore  and  old  Benson 
took  upon  themselves  '.ie  task  of  bringing  in  the 
four  deer.  Each  was  a  beautiful  prize,  and  the 
quartet  made  an  imposing  sight  when  hung  up  on 
a  couple  of  tree  branches. 

"  The  colonel  will  like  this  haul,"  said  the  young 
captain.  "  It  will  mean  prime  venison  for  some 
days  to  come.  Benson,  I  wish  we  could  get 
some  of  it  back  to  the  fort  without  delay — so  we 
can  put  it  on  ice  and  keep  it  nice." 

"  I'll  take  'em  all  to  the  fort  to-night,  if  you  say 
so,"  answered  the  scout.  "  I  can  take  one  on  my 


A  FISH  AND  A   SNAKE.  99 

horse,  and  load  the  other  three  on  one  of  the  other 
animals," 

"  Then  do  that,  and  while  at  the  fort  ask  the 
colonel  if  he  will  give  me  permission  to  remain  out 
until  Saturday.  Tell  him  we  think  we  can  bring 
in  something  for  all  hands  to  enjoy." 

"  I'll  do  it,"  said  the  old  scout. 

Soon  the  deer  were  packed  on  the  horses,  old 
Benson  having  first  cut  some  steaks  from  the 
smallest  of  the  game,  to  leave  behind. 

"  Take  good  care  of  yourselves  while  I  am 
gone,"  he  said  on  departing.  "  And  you,  Joe  and 
Darry,  mind  what  I  told  you  about  getting  cor 
nered."  Then  he  was  off,  and  a  turn  in  the  moun 
tain  trail  soon  hid  him  from  view. 

"  A  fine  old  fellow,"  was  Joe's  comment,  when 
Benson  was  gone. 

"  He  is  that,"  answered  the  young  captain.  "  I 
liked  him  from  the  first  time  I  saw  him,  and  I  have 
never  had  cause  to  regret  it.  He  is  a  good  hunter, 
an  excellent  scout,  and  has  done  us  many  a  good 
turn." 

"  What  shall  we  do  while  he  is  absent?  "  ques 
tioned  Darry. 

"  Oh,  we  can  try  our  hand  at  small  game  and 
we  can  fish !  "  answered  the  young  captain.  "  As 
it  is,  I  reckon  both  of  you  would  just  as  lief  take 
it  easy  until  morning." 


loo  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  I  would.  That  deer  on  me  has  made  me  feel 
sore  all  over." 

They  were  soon  in  camp  again,  and  while  the 
boys  rested  Captain  Moore  stirred  around  and 
showed  them  how  the  soldiers  prepared  their 
meals.  He  cooked  the  steaks  to  a  turn,  and  boiled 
a  pot  of  coffee,  and  these,  with  some  crackers  they 
had  brought  along,  made  a  most  excellent  meal. 
Being  in  no  hurry,  they  took  their  time  over  the 
repast,  and  it  was  dark  long  before  they  fin 
ished. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  fine  night,  so  we  can  sleep 
under  the  trees  without  fear,"  said  the  young 
captain. 

"  Don't  you  think  some  wild  animals  will  attack 
us?" 

"  Not  if  we  keep  our  camp-fire  burning." 
.  The  boys  brought  in  plenty  of  brush  and  some 
heavier  wood,  and  arranged  it  so  that  it  would 
burn  for  a  long  while,  doing  this  by  forming  the 
stuff  into  something  of  a  circle.  Then  the  horses 
were  looked  after,  and  each  retired,  with  his 
blanket  rolled  around  him  to  keep  off  the  moun 
tain  dew,  which  was  already  showing  itself. 

When  the  boys  awoke  the  sun  was  shining 
brightly  into  their  faces.  For  a  moment  each 
stared  at  the  other. 

"  Gracious,   I  never  slept  so  soundly  in  my 


A   FISH  AND  A   SNAKE.  loi 

life!  "  cried  Joe.  "  I  couldn't  have  done  better  in 
a  bed  at  home." 

"  Nor  I,"  returned  his  cousin.  "  I  can  tell  you, 
sleeping  in  the  open  air  when  it  doesn't  rain  is  all 
right." 

But  when  Darry  got  up  on  his  feet  he  changed 
his  tune.  The  fall  of  the  day  previous,  combined 
with  the  night  air,  had  made  him  woefully  stiff, 
and  it  was  a  good  half -hour  before  he  became  lim 
bered  up. 

They  found  Captain  Moore  already  stirring, 
and  the  kettle  over  the  fire  was  boiling  merrily. 
The  captain  himself  was  trying  his  luck  at  a  brook 
not  a  great  distance  off. 

"  I  saw  some  fish  in  here  some  weeks  ago,"  he 
explained.  "  I  thought  I  might  get  a  couple  for 
breakfast.  But  you  lads  will  have  to  wait  until  I 
strike  luck." 

"  I'm  willing  to  wait,"  said  Joe.  "  There  is 
nothing  to  do,  is  there,  until  Benson  gets  back?  " 

"  Nothing  that  I  know  of,  unless  you  want  to 
fish  or  go  after  some  small  game.  I  want  to  hear 
what  he  has  to  say.  If  the  colonel  won't  let  me 
stay  out,  I'll  have  to  return  to  the  fort  to-night." 

It  did  not  take  long  for  Captain  Moore  to  land 
several  good-sized  specimens  of  the  finny  tribe, 
and  these  the  boys  took  turns  at  preparing  for  eat 
ing,  while  the  captain  continued  to  fish.  The 


102  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

balance  of  the  morning  was  passed  at  the  brook, 
and,  strange  to  say,  the  captain  and  Joe  were 
both  quite  successful,  while  Darry  hardly  got  a  bite. 

"  I'm  going  to  try  my  luck  further  up  the 
stream,"  announced  the  boy.  "  I  believe  we  are 
all  fishing  too  closely  together." 

"  That  doesn't  seem  to  hurt  my  luck,"  said 
Joe. 

Darry  was  soon  climbing  the  rocks  leading  up 
the  brook.  The  way  was  rough,  but  he  was  grow 
ing  used  to  this  life  in  the  open  air  and  he  enjoyed 
even  the  hardship,  if  such  it  can  be  called. 

"  That  ought  to  make  a  good  fishing-hole,"  he 
said  to  himself,  as  he  reached  a  point  where  sev 
eral  big  rocks  hung  over  the  water's  edge.  It's 
dark  down  there,  and  that's  what  some  fish 
like." 

He  prepared  his  bait  with  care,  and  then 
dropped  his  line  into  the  hole.  Almost  immedi 
ately  he  felt  a  nibble,  and,  giving  a  jerk,  found  he 
had  caught  something  that  was  both  large  and 
powerful. 

"  Gracious,  it  must  be  a  whopper !  "  he  mut 
tered,  as  the  fish  darted  hither  and  thither.  Then 
he  braced  back  on  the  rock,  to  play  the  game,  for 
bringing  in  the  catch  at  once  seemed  out  of  the 
question.  The  pole  bent  greatly,  and  he  was 
afraid  it  would  snap  on  him. 


A   FISH  AND  A    SNAKE.  l°3 

He  could  not  stand  on  the  slippery  rock  very 
well,  and  so  stepped  behind  it,  on  a  number  of 
loose  stones.  Hardly  had  he  done  so  when  he 
heard  a  strange  hissing.  Looking  down,  he  saw 
a  snake  glide  from  under  the  rock.  In  a  moment 
more  the  angry  reptile  faced  him. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

OVER    THE    MOUNTAIN    TOP. 

DARRY  was  much  alarmed,  and  with  good  rea 
son.  Never  before  had  he  faced  such  a  snake,  and 
the  reptile  looked  ready  to  spring  upon  him  at  any 
instant. 

What  to  do  the  boy  did  not  know,  yet  instinct 
ively  he  leaped  back  to  the  top  of  the  rock.  Then 
the  fish  gave  a  jerk  which  almost  took  him  from 
his  feet. 

"  Joe !  Will !  "  he  shouted.  "  Come  this  way! 
I'm  in  a  pickle!  " 

"  What's  the  matter  ?  "  shouted  Captain  Moore, 
and  soon  he  and  his  brother  were  coming  forward 
as  quickly  as  they  could. 

In  the  meantime  Darry  was  having  his  hands 
full,  for  the  big  fish  was  bound  to  get  away.  At 
the  bottom  of  the  rock  lay  the  snake,  with  head 
raised  and  mouth  wide  open.  It's  eyes  shone  like 
diamonds. 

"  A  snake !     Kill  it !  "  shrieked  Darry. 

"  A  snake ?  "  echoed  Joe.     "  Where?  " 


OVER    THE  MOUNTAIN   TOP.  105 

"  At  the  bottom  of  this  big  rock.  Oh,  my,  he's 
going  to  come  up !  " 

"  I  see  him,"  put  in  Captain  Moore. 

As  he  spoke  the  snake  made  a  leap  for  the  top 
of  the  rock.  As  the  reptile  went  up,  Darry  went 
down,  and  ran  along  the  brook's  edge,  still  with 
his  fishing-pole  in  his  hand. 

Catching  up  a  sharp  stone,  Captain  Moore  flung 
it  at  the  snake,  hitting  the  reptile  in  the  tail.  At 
once  the  thing  whirled  around,  and  now  forget 
ting  Darry  it  turned  on  its  assailant. 

"  He's  coming  for  you ! "  ejaculated  Joe. 
"  Run,  Will,  or  you'll  be  bitten  sure!  " 

"  I'm  not  running  from  a  snake,"  answered  the 
young  officer,  and  in  a  trice  he  whipped  out  his 
pistol.  As  the  snake  came  on  he  let  drive.  His 
aim  was  true,  and  the  snake  dropped  with  its 
head  half  severed  from  its  body. 

"  Good  for  you !  "  said  Joe,  and  now  he  picked 
up  a  stone  as  large  as  his  hand.  This  he  dropped 
directly  on  the  quivering  head,  and  thus  ended 
the  battle,  although  the  body  of  the  snake  con 
tinued  to  wriggle  for  a  long  while  afterward. 

With  white  face  and  set  teeth,  Darry  continued 
to  play  his  catch  and  he  was  still  at  it  when  Joe 
and  his  brother  came  rushing  up. 

"Did  the  snake  bite  you?"  questioned  the 
young  captain.  "  Why  didn't  you  pull  in?  " 


106  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  I've  got  something  big  on,"  answered  Dairy. 
"  I  didn't  want  to  miss  it." 

"Well,  I  never!"  gasped  Captain  Moore. 
"  And  you  didn't  let  go  even  with  that  snake  at 
your  heels?  Well,  you  like  a  fish  better  than  I 
do,  I  can  tell  you  that." 

Again  the  pole  bent  and  threatened  to  break, 
but  Darry  knew  what  he  was  doing,  and  promptly 
let  the  fish  have  more  line.  Then  he  wound  in, 
and  as  the  fish  unexpectedly  came  close  to  shore 
he  gave  a  sudden  strong,  steady  sweep,  and  up 
came  the  prize  on  the  rocks,  flapping  and  flopping 
violently. 

"My,  what  a  whopper!"  cried  Joe.  "He 
must  weigh  at  least  seven  or  eight  pounds !  " 

"  He  felt  as  if  he  weighed  about  forty  when  he 
was  in  the  water,"  returned  Darry,  a  little  crest 
fallen  that  the  catch  was  not  larger. 

"  That's  the  biggest  fish  I've  ever  seen  taken 
out  of  this  stream,"  said  the  young  captain. 
"  You  can  be  proud  of  it,  Darry.  But  to  hold  on 

when  that  snake  was  behind  you "  He 

shook  his  head. 

"  Oh,  I  knew  you'd  come  up  and  take  care  of 
that,  Cousin  Will." 

"  But  I  might  have  been  too  late." 

"  Was  it  a  poisonous  one  ?  " 

"  Some  claim  they  are  poisonous,  but  the  sur- 


OVER    THE  MOUNTAIN  TOP.  107 

geon  up  at  the  fort  says  not.  Still  I  wouldn't 
want  to  risk  a  bite." 

"  Perhaps  there  are  more  around,"  suggested 
Joe. 

"  No,  the  peculiarity  of  this  variety  of  snakes  is 
that  they  always  travel  alone.  If  they  meet  they 
fight  until  one  or  the  other  is  dead." 

"  Did  you  ever  see  such  a  fight,  Will?  " 

"  I  did,  when  I  first  came  to  these  parts.  I  was 
riding  over  a  rocky  trail  when  my  horse  suddenly 
stopped,  nearly  throwing  me.  On  looking  ahead 
to  find  out  what  had  frightened  my  animal,  I  dis 
covered  two  of  these  snakes.  They  were  facing 
each  other,  with  mouths  wide  open  and  fangs 
showing.  Each  was  so  interested  in  the  other 
that  neither  noticed  me  or  the  horse.  They  faced 
each  other  for  fully  a  minute,  and  during  that  time 
began  to  hiss  louder  and  louder.  Suddenly  they 
sprang  at  each  other,  and  one  snake  was  stung 
in  the  eye.  He  curled  himself  around  the  other 
snake's  neck,  and  in  an  instant  both  were  in  a  tight 
ball.  They  rolled  around  and  around  among  the 
rocks.  Once  in  a  while  a  head  would  show  itself, 
and  then  there  would  be  more  hissing.  After  ten 
minutes  the  ball  fell  gradually  apart,  and  then 
one  snake  crawled  slowly  away,  more  dead  than 
alive.  The  other  snake  proved  to  be  dead,  with 
both  eyes  torn  from  its  head." 


108  BO YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"Didn't  you  kill  the  other  snake?"  asked 
Darry. 

"  I  did.  That's  the  first  and  only  battle  I  ever 
saw  between  snakes,  and  it  was  terrible  while  it 
lasted,  I  can  tell  you  that." 

Fishing  over,  they  went  into  camp,  and  here 
rested  until  old  Benson  came  back. 

'  The  colonel  was  tickled  to  death  to  receive  so 
much  deer  meat,"  said  the  old  scout.  "  And  he 
says  you  can  stay  until  Saturday  night  if  you  wish. 
His  lady  said  she  had  been  wanting  some  venison 
for  several  weeks." 

Captain  Moore  felt  glad  to  think  he  could  be 
out  four  days  more. 

"  We'll  have  a  grand  time  now,"  he  said. 
"  Benson,  we  can  go  right  over  yonder  mountain, 
can't  we  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure,"  answered  the  scout. 

"  Is  the  hunting  good  over  there?  "  asked  Joe. 

"  Yes,  lad.  There  used  to  be  some  buffalo 
there." 

"  Good!  Let  us  get  a  buffalo  by  all  means!  " 
cried  Darry. 

"  You  go  slow  about  tackling  a  buffalo,  espe 
cially  a  bull,"  said  the  young  captain.  "  If  we  do 
sight  a  buffalo  you  let  Benson  manage  the  whole 
affair." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  party  were  off  once 


OVER    THE  MOUNTAIN   TOP.  169 

more,  up  a  trail  which  led  directly  to  the  mountain 
top.  Here  traveling  was  difficult,  and  both  riders 
and  horses  were  glad  to  rest  at  frequent  intervals. 

When  the  top  was  gained  the  sun  was  just  sink 
ing  in  the  far  west.  The  sight  on  every  side  was 
a  glorious  one,  and  as  the  captain  had  a  small 
field-glass  with  him,  they  could  see  for  miles. 

"  There  is  the  fort,"  said  Joe,  after  looking 
through  the  glass.  "I  can  see  the  flag  quite 
plainly." 

In  the  west  were  more  mountains,  and  between 
these  the  valley  for  which  they  were  bound. 
Timber  and  underbrush  were  dense  in  spots,  while 
at  other  points  the  mountain  sides  were  covered 
with  bold,  blackish  rocks,  with  here  and  there 
luxuriant  moss  of  several  hues.  Springs  and 
brooks  were  numerous,  so  there  was  no  danger  of 
a  water  famine. 

"  I  can  make  out  some  game  over  yonder,"  said 
Darry,  when  he  had  the  glass  adjusted  to  his 
sight. 

"What  is  it?" 

"  I  can't  see  very  plainly." 

"  Hand  over  the  glass,"  said  old  Benson,  and 
took  a  careful  look.  But  the  setting  sun  now 
cast  a  deep  shadow  between  the  mountains,  and  he 
was  unable  to  tell  what  it  was. 

"  Mountain  deer,  most  likely,"  he  said.    "  We'll 


no  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

find  out  to-morrow — if  the  good  weather  holds 
out." 

"  Do  you  think  we'll  have  a  storm  ?  "  asked  Joe 
quickly. 

"  We'll  have  something;  don't  you  think  so, 
captain  ?  " 

"  I  think  we'll  have  more  wind  than  rain,"  re 
turned  Captain  Moore. 

"  If  we  have  a  high  wind,  will  it  be  safe  right 
on  the  mountain  top  ?  "  questioned  Joe. 

"  We  won't  stay  here,"  said  old  Benson.  "  I 
know  of  a  much  better  camping-place.  Come, 
while  it  is  still  a  little  light."  And  they  set  off 
once  more. 

The  place  the  old  scout  had  in  mind  was  close 
beside  a  cliff.  The  wall  of  rocks  was  twice  as 
high  as  their  heads,  and  on  either  side  was  a 
growth  of  heavy  timber.  There  was  a  spring  at 
hand  and  a  grassy  patch  which  promised  them  an 
easy  bed,  providing  it  did  not  rain. 

"  If  it  storms  we  can  seek  the  shelter  of  the 
cliff,"  said  old  Benson.  "  It  won't  be  as  com 
fortable  as  a  house  or  cabin,  but  it  will  be  a  good 
deal  better  than  being  right  in  the  open." 

The  boys  were  glad  enough  to  rest  after  the 
wearisome  ride  over  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and 
hungry  for  the  meal  the  old  scout  took  upon  him 
self  to  prepare. 


OVER    THE  MOUNTAIN   TOP.  HI 

When  the  fire  was  lit  it  burned  up  lively,  blow 
ing  the  sparks  in  several  directions.  As  soon  as 
he  finished  cooking  the  meal  Benson  put  out  the 
blaze. 

"  Too  much  wind,"  he  said,  in  reply  to  a  ques 
tion  from  Joe.  "  I  don't  want  to  set  the  whole 
mountain  side  on  fire." 

Benson  was  right  about  the  wind,  which  was 
now  sweeping  strongly  through  the  tops  of  the 
tall  trees.  Presently  it  came  lower,  and  shook  up 
the  brushwood.  The  night  birds  began  to  fly 
around,  uttering  their  shrill  cries.  The  old  scout 
listened  to  the  birds  with  some  concern. 

"  It's  going  to  be  a  big  blow,"  he  said  to  Darry. 

;<  You  are  sure?  " 

'  Yes.  The  birds  are  afraid  of  it.  See  how 
they  flutter  around  ?  That's  a  sure  sign." 

"  Birds  must  know  a  good  deal,  Benson." 

'  They  do,  lad — a  heap  sight  more  than  folks 
gives  'em  credit  for.  We  could  learn  a  good  deal 
from  them,  if  we'd  only  set  our  minds  to  it." 

They  took  their  time  about  eating,  having  noth 
ing  else  to  do.  Then  Benson  cared  for  the  horses, 
putting  them  in  the  shelter  of  the  brush,  but  away 
from  the  big  trees. 

At  last  it  began  to  blow  in  earnest,  and  pres 
ently  they  heard  a  tree  limb  here  and  there  snap 
with  a  loud  report.  Then  the  wind  became  so 


112  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

furious  they  were  glad  enough  to  huddle  under 
the  cliff  for  shelter. 

"  It's  coming  now !  "  shouted  old  Benson  sud 
denly.  "  Hold  fast  to  your  hats,  boys,  or  you'll 
never  see  them  again.  And  sit  down  on  the 
traps!" 

And  in  a  moment  more  the  fury  of  the  wind 
storm  was  upon  them. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    RESULT    OF    A    HURRICANE. 

BOTH  Joe  and  Darry  had  witnessed  many  a 
blow,  but  nothing  to  compare  to  that  which  now 
swept  through  the  valley  and  up  the  mountain 
side.  The  velocity  of  the  wind  was  simply  ter 
rific,  and  it  was  well  that  old  Benson  had  cau 
tioned  them  to  hold  on  to  their  hats  and  sit  on 
their  traps,  otherwise  all  would  have  been  blown 
away  to  parts  unknown. 

"  Say,  but  this  is  fierce !  "  gasped  Darry,  after 
several  minutes  had  passed. 

"  It's  a  regular  hurricane,"  said  Captain  Moore. 
"  I've  been  out  in  them  before.  Fortunately  they 
do  not  last  over  a  quarter  or  half  an  hour.  Down 
on  the  prairies  of  Kansas  they  would  cafl  it  a 
cyclone.  Here,  however,  it  can't  get  the  sweep 
that  it  can  on  the  level." 

"Hark!  what  is  that?"  put  in  Joe,  as  a  tre 
mendous  crashing  reached  their  ears. 

"  That's  a  tree  in  the  forest  going  down,"  an 
swered  old  Benson. 

'  There  goes  another,"  said  Darry,  as  more 

"3 


Ir4  SOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

crashing  was  heard.  "  I  am  glad  we  didn't  g3 
into  the  timber.  It's  more  dangerous  than  light 
ning." 

"  So  it  is !  "  shouted  Benson.  It  was  with 
difficulty  that  he  made  himself  heard.  "Here 
comes  the  worse  of  it !  "  he  added. 

A  strange  humming  now  filled  the  air,  followed 
by  twigs  and  flying  branches.  Overhead  it  was 
unusually  dark,  and  they  could  scarcely  see  one 
another.  Joe  and  Darry  kept  close  together  and 
clasped  hands.  Captain  Moore  was  on  one  side 
of  them  and  old  Benson  on  the  other. 

As  the  wind  struck  the  cliff  it  sent  a  shower  of 
loose  stones  in  all  directions.  Then  it  tore 
through  the  undergrowth  where  the  horses  were 
tethered.  Next  it  seemed  to  hit  the  trees  front 
ing  the  cliff.  One  tall  monarch  of  the  forest  was 
twisted  completely  from  its  roots  and  began  to 
topple. 

"See,  the  tree  is  coming  on  top  of  us!" 
shrieked  Joe. 

His  words  were  drowned  out  in  the  fury  of  the 
wind  and  the  crashing  of  the  tree.  The  next  mo 
ment  the  monarch  of  the  forest  came  down  on  the 
cliff  with  a  bang,  cracking  the  stone  in  several 
places.  The  bottom  limbs  caught  those  under  the 
cliff  and  pinned  them  fast. 

To  both  boys  it  seemed  as  if  the  end  of  the 


THE  RESULT  OF  A   HURRICANE.  n5 

world  had  come.  They  rolled  over,  one  on  top  of 
the  other,  and  for  several  seconds  lay  dazed 
Then  they  tried  to  get  up,  but  found  themselves 
unable  to  do  so. 

"  Get  off  of  my  chest!  "  gasped  Joe,  who  was 
underneath. 

"  i  can't — I'm  pinned  down! "  panted  Darry. 

"  Boys,  are  you  safe?  "  came  from  old  Benson, 
who  was  also  caught. 

"  I I  guess  so !  "  answered  Joe.     "  But  it's 

a  tight  squeeze."  Then  the  youth  called  out  to 
his  brother,  but  no  answer  came  back. 

"  Will  must  be  hurt !  "  he  exclaimed,  his  heart 
rising  in  his  throat.  "  Will !  Will !  Where  are 
you?  "  he  continued. 

Still  there  was  no  answer,  or  if  so  the  fury  of 
the  wind  drowned  it  out  completely.  The  boys 
tried  their  best  to  move,  but  could  only  budge  a 
few  inches. 

In  five  minutes  the  fury  of  the  blow  spent  itself 
and  the  last  of  the  wind  sent  the  fallen  tree  rolling 
along  the  cliff  a  distance  of  several  rods.  This 
released  Joe  and  Darry,  and  they  arose  to  their 
feet  dazed  and  bewildered  and  scarcely  knowing 
what  to  do  next.  It  was  now  raining  and  darker 
than  ever. 

"Benson!"  called  out  Joe,  "where  is  my 
brother?" 


Il  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

11  The  captain  must  still  be  under  the  tree/'  re 
plied  the  old  scout.  "  He  was  next  to  you  when 
the  tree  came  down,  wasn't  he?  " 

"  He  was,  but  I  believe  the  wind  carried  his  .'hat 
off,  and  he  made  a  dive  for  it.  That's  the  last  I 
saw  of  him." 

Staggering  to  his  feet,  Joe  looked  around,  try 
ing  to  pierce  the  darkness.  Darry  followed  him, 
and  old  Benson  also  got  up.  The  scout  had  re 
ceived  a  nasty  cut  on  the  shoulder,  from  which  the 
blood  was  flowing. 

In  a  few  minutes  Joe  found  his  brother.  The 
captain  lay  on  the  rocks  unconscious,  a  big  lump 
on  his  forehead,  where  the  largest  of  the  tree's 
branches  had  struck  him.  Kneeling  at  his 
brother's  side,  the  boy  made  a  hasty  examination. 

"He's  alive!"  he  said.  "But  he  must  have 
been  struck  a  terrible  crack." 

There  was  little  to*  do  excepting  to  bathe  the 
unconscious  officer's  head,  and  this  was  done.  In 
the  meantime  Darry  assisted  old  Benson  at  bind 
ing  up  the  wounded  shoulder. 

"Take  the  tree  off!"  Such  were  the  first 
words  Captain  Moore  uttered  when  he  returned 
to  consciousness.  It  was  some  time  before  he 
could  sit  up. 

"  You  are  all  right,  Will — the  tree  is  not  on 
you,"  said  Joe  soothingly. 


THE  RESULT  OF  A   HURRICANE.  1*7 

"  But  it  came  down  right  on  top  of  me." 

"  Yes,  it  came  down  on  all  of  us." 

"Anybody  killed?" 

"  No.  Benson  has  a  cut  on  the  shoulder,  and 
you  were  knocked  out.  Feel  the  lump  on  your 
head." 

The  young  captain  did  so. 

"  Phew !  But  that's  a  regular  goose-egg,  isn't 
it?  "  he  muttered.  "  I  suppose  I  can  be  thankful 
that  I  am  alive." 

"  We  can  all  be  thankful  for  that,  Will." 

"  It  was  the  greatest  blow  I  ever  experienced — 
in  more  ways  than  one,"  said  the  captain.  "  I  see 
it  is  raining.  We  had  better  go  back  to  the  cliff 
for  protection." 

"  Don't  do  it!  "  cried  old  Benson,  from  out  of 
the  darkness.  "  The  tree  struck  the  cliff  a  heavy 
blow,  and  we  don't  want  that  down  on  our  heads 
next." 

"  No,  let  us  give  the  cliff  a  wide  berth,"  said 
Darry.  "  I'd  rather  remain  right  out  in  the  open 
and  get  soaked  than  take  any  more  risks." 

:'  The  rain  won't  amount  to  much,"  said  Ben 
son.  "  It  never  does  after  such  a  hurricane." 

The  scout  was  right,  and  in  less  than  half  an 
hour  after  it  had  begun  the  downpour  was  over 
and  the  stars  were  struggling  forth  in  the  sky. 
Without  delay  a  camp-fire  was  lit,  and  the  blaze 


"8  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

did  much  toward  making  them  comfortable.  It 
was  found  that  Benson's  wound  was  by  far  the 
worst,  yet  the  old  scout  said  it  would  not  interfere 
with  his  outing. 

"  I've  had  lots  of  'em  in  my  time/'  was  the  way 
he  expressed  himself.  "  Lots,  and  I  aint  dead  yet. 
'Pears  to  me  I'm  about  as  tough  as  a  pine- 
knot." 

It  was  found  that  the  horses  had  not  suffered  in 
the  least  from  the  storm,  although  they  had  been 
much  frightened.  Soon  they  calmed  down,  and 
by  midnight  all  was  as  quiet  as  if  nothing  out  of 
the  ordinary  had  occurred.  But  Captain  Moore 
and  old  Benson  carried  the  marks  of  the  adventure 
for  many  days  after. 

On  the  following  morning  no  one  felt  much  in 
the  humor  for  hunting,  and  half  a  day  was  lost  in 
"  bumming  around,"  as  Joe  expressed  it.  This 
gave  all  a  good  rest  and  put  the  horses  in  fine 
fettle,  and  when  they  started  out  after  the  midday 
meal  all  were  once  again  in  high  spirits. 

That  night  found  them  on  the  edge  of  what  old 
Benson  called  the  buffalo  ground,  a  broad  valley 
where  the  grass  was  thick  and  of  a  peculiar  rich 
ness.  On  the  way  they  had  shot  a  number  of 
birds  and  also  a  few  small  animals,  but  nothing  of 
importance.  Once  some  deer  had  been  sighted, 
but  the  game  was  too  far  off  to  be  pursued. 


THE  RESULT  OF  A   HURRICANE.  119 

As  they  expected  to  remain  at  this  point  until 
ready  to  return  home,  the  old  scout  proceeded  to 
put  up  a  shelter  of  brush,  which,  when  completed, 
was  almost  as  comfortable  as  a  cabin.  On  the 
bottom  were  strewn  pine  boughs,  which  gave  the 
shelter  a  peculiar  odor. 

"  Best  thing  in  the  world  for  colds  and  weak 
lungs,  that  smell,"  said  Benson.  "  I've  never 
known  it  to  fail."  The  boys  declared  that  the 
odor  made  them  sleep  "  like  logs." 

"  It's  queer  we  haven't  seen  any  Indians,"  re 
marked  Darry.  "  I  thought  these  mountains 
were  full  of  them." 

'  They  were  full,  before  the  fort  was  estab 
lished,"  answered  Benson.  "  But  the  kind  that 
are  in  this  neighborhood  don't  like  white  men 
very  much,  and  they  only  come  around  the  fort 
when  it's  necessary.  But  we  may  meet  some  after 
buffalo.  An  Injun  will  do  a  heap  to  get  a  critter 
like  that." 

The  old  scout  said  it  would  be  useless  to  go 
out  in  a  body  to  look  for  buffalo,  and  so  it  was 
arranged  that  he  should  first  go  over  the  ground 
alone,  leaving  the  captain  and  the  two  boys  to 
look  for  smaller  game. 

This  settled,  Benson  soon  set  off,  and  a  little 
later  Captain  Moore,  Joe,  and  Darry  took  their 
way  along  some  bushes  skirting  a  small  water- 


120  JBOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

course.     They  went  on  foot,  leaving  their  horses 
tethered  near  the  shelter. 

"  I  will  go  up  one  side  of  the  stream,  and  you 
can  go  up  the  other,"  said  the  captain.  "By 
doing  that  we'll  be  sure  to  stir  up  anything  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  the  water." 

The  boys  agreed,  and  soon  each  member  of  the 
party  was  hard  at  work,  on  the  hunt  for  any  small 
game  the  vicinity  might  afford. 

It  was  not  long  before  they  gained  a  spot  where 
the  underbrush  along  the  brook  was  thick.  Here 
the  stream  divided  into  two  branches,  and,  with 
out  knowing  it,  the  captain  and  the  boys  became 
gradually  more  and  more  separated,  the  brush  and 
small  trees  hiding  each  from  the  other. 

"  I  don't  see  much,"  said  Joe,  after  half  a  mile 
had  been  covered.  "Those  little  birds  aren't 
worth  wasting  powder  and  shot  on." 

"  It  looks  to  me  as  if  somebody  had  gone  over 
this  ground,"  returned  Darry.  "  See  here,  aren't 
those  fresh  footprints  ?  " 

"I  believe  they  are.  And  see,  here  are  the 
prints  of  several  horses'  hoofs.  Benson  didn't 
come  this  way,  did  he?  " 

"  I  don't  think  he  did." 

"Then  there  must  be  other  hunters  not  far 
off." 

They  continued  on  their  way,  coming  to  a  halt 


THE  RESULT  OF  A   HURRICANE.  121 

where  the  branch  of  the  brook  entered  a  small, 
rocky  canyon. 

"  No  use  of  going  further,"  said  Joe.  "  Let  us 
retrace  our  steps." 

"  Where  can  your  brother  be  ?  I  haven't  heard 
him  for  some  time." 

Joe  set  up  a  yell,  and  both  listened  attentively. 
No  answer  came  back.  Then  both  called  in  con 
cert.  Still  the  silence  continued. 

"  It's  mighty  queer,"  was  Joe's  comment 
"  Let  us  go  back.  Perhaps  he's  in  trouble." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CAPTAIN  MOORE'S  ADVENTURE. 

IN  the  meanwhile,  never  dreaming  of  the  dan 
ger  at  hand,  Captain  Moore  pursued  his  way  up 
the  other  branch  of  the  water-course.  Here  the 
underbrush  was  even  more  dense  than  where  the 
boys  were,  and  consequently  he  did  not  think  it 
strange  that  he  heard  nothing  of  his  brother  and 
his  cousin. 

The  fact  that  he  stirred  up  no  game  nettled  him, 
and  he  pushed  on,  determined  to  bring  down 
something  before  he  went  back. 

Suddenly  he  espied  something  moving  in  the 
patch  of  wood  ahead  of  him.  Rifle  in  hand,  he 
moved  cautiously  in  the  direction. 

As  he  did  this,  a  man  glided  out  from  the 
bushes  to  his  right  and  followed  him  as  silently  as 
a  shadow. 

The  man  was  Gus  Fetter.  The  desperado  was 
fully  armed,  and  his  face  was  black  with  hatred  of 
the  young  army  officer. 

As  the  wood  was  gained,  Captain  Moore 
paused  to  locate  the  object  he  had  seen. 

382 


CAPTAIN  MOORE'S  ADVENTURE.          12$ 

But  before  he  could  do  this,  he  was  caught  from 
behind  and  his  rifle  was  wrenched  from  his  grasp. 

"  Fetter !  "  he  ejaculated,  as  he  caught  sight  of 
the  desperado. 

"Up  with  your  hands,  Captain  Moore!" 
growled  the  rascal  savagely.  "  Up,  I  say!  I've 
got  the  drop  on  you !  " 

Fetter  had  thrown  the  captain's  rifle  to  the 
ground,  and  now  stood  upon  it.  In  his  hands  he 
held  his  own  weapon,  and  the  muzzle  was  aimed 
at  the  young  officer's  head. 

Realizing  that  discretion  was  the  better  part  of 
valor,  Captain  Moore  threw  up  his  hands 
promptly,  at  which  the  desperado  grinned  wick 
edly. 

"  Where  did  you  come  from,  Fetter  ? "  de 
manded  the  captain. 

"  From  not  far  away,  captain." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  treating  a  United 
States  army  officer  in  this  fashion?  " 

"  I've  got  a  score  to  settle  with  you,  captain. 
Don't  forget  that." 

"  Are  the  rest  of  the  gang  around?  " 

"  They  are." 

Following  his  last  words,  Gus  Fetter  gave  a 
Jong,  clear  whistle,  followed  by  two  shorter  ones. 
At  once  an  answer  came  back  from  the  woods,  and 
in  a  few  seconds  Matt  Gilroy  appeared. 


124  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Hullo,  so  you've  got  him,"  sang  out  the 
leader  of  the  desperadoes.  "  A  good  haul.  How 
are  you,  Captain  Moore?  Delighted  to  see  me, 
I  suppose." 

"  Not  at  all  glad  to  meet  you — considering  the 
circumstances,"  answered  the  young  officer,  try 
ing  to  keep  cool,  although  he  realized  that  he  was 
in  a  dangerous  situation. 

"  Well,  you're  honest  about  it,  anyway,"  said 
Gilroy  with  a  brutal  laugh. 

"  Have  you  been  following  our  party?  " 
'  You  had  better  not  ask  too  many  questions, 
captain." 

By  this  time  Potts  and  two  other  men  were 
coming  up.  One  of  the  latter  carried  his  left  arm 
in  a  sling.  Captain  Moore's  recognized  him  as  a 
fellow  who  had  been  wounded  in  the  raid  on  the 
quartermaster's  party. 

The  desperadoes  consulted  among  themselves 
for  a  few  minutes,  and  then  Captain  Moore  was 
ordered  to  march  on. 

"To  where?  "he  asked. 

"  You'll  see  when  you  get  there,"  answered 
Fetter.  "  Now  move,  or,  by  the  boots,  I  shoot 
you  down  where  you  stand !  " 

Seeing  it  would  be  worse  than  useless  to  resist, 
the  young  officer  did  as  ordered,  and  the  whole 
j>arty  moved  away  from  the  water  course  and  took 


CAPTAIN  MOORE'S  ADVENTURE.          1*5 

to  a  trail  leading  back  to  the  side  of  the  moun 
tain. 

Presently  they  came  upon  a  number  of  horses, 
and  here  they  mounted.  There  were  two  steeds 
without  riders,  and  Captain  Moore  was  ordered 
to  the  back  of  one  of  these.  All  rode  off  in  a 
bunch,  the  prisoner  being  kept  in  the  center  of  the 
party.  He  had  been  searched  and  his  pistol  taken 
from  him,  also  his  pocket-knife,  field-glass,  and 
his  money  and  jewelry. 

In  less  than  quarter  of  an  hour  a  split  in  the 
mountain  side  was  gained.  To  the  rear  was 
something  of  a  cave,  the  entrance  overgrown  with 
brush  and  vines.  At  the  mouth  of  the  cave  the 
party  came  to  a  halt,  and  were  met  by  several  other 
desperadoes. 

"  Now  you  can  get  down,"  said  Gilroy.  "  Fet 
ter,  I  guess  we  had  better  bind  his  hands  behind 
him." 

"  You  are  going  to  bind  me?  "  queried  Captain 
Moore. 

"  And  why  not  ?  You  are  such  a  nice  chap, 
captain,  we  don't  want  to  part  with  you  just  yet." 

:<  Why  are  you  going  to  keep  me  a  prisoner?  " 

''  Well,  don't  forget  that  we  hold  you  respon 
sible  for  that  little  mix-up  when  we  were  after  the 
quartermaster's  money-bags." 

"  I  only  did  my  duty,  Gilroy." 


126  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Perhaps;  but  if  it  hadn't  been  for  you  and 
your  men  our  gang  would  have  been  about  twenty 
thousand  dollars  richer  than  we  are  to-day." 

"  And  I  wouldn't  have  this  lame  arm,"  growled 
the  fellow  who  had  been  wounded. 

"  As  I  said  before,  I  only  did  my  duty,"  re 
peated  the  captain  calmly.  "  Even  if  I  hadn't  ar 
rived,  don't  you  suppose  the  quartermaster  would 
have  done  all  he  could  to  defend  himself?  " 

"  Certainly;  but  his  party  numbered  only  three. 
However,  we  won't  talk  now.  We  have  other 
things  to  do-.  Get  into  that  cave.  And  don't  try 
to  escape,  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you." 

With  a  downcast  heart  the  young  officer  entered 
the  cave,  which  wras  an  old  rendezvous  of  the  des 
peradoes.  Inside  were  a  rude  table  and  a  couple 
of  benches,  and  he  threw  himself  down  on  one  of 
the  latter.  One  of  the  gang,  Potts,  put  himself 
on  guard  outside,  rifle  in  hand.  The  others  sepa 
rated  into  two  parties,  and  went  off  again. 

"  Can  they  be  going  after  Joe  and  Darry,  or 
after  Benson  ? "  was  the  question  the  captain 
asked  himself. 

He  waited  until  the  hoofbeats  outside  had  en 
tirely  ceased,  then  called  to  Potts. 

"  Where  are  they  going?  "  he  asked. 

"  That's  Captain  Gilroy's  business,"  was  the 
answer. 


CAPTAIN  MOORE'S  ADVENTURE.          12? 

"  Oh,  so  you  call  Gilroy  captain  now?  " 

"  We  do." 

"  How  many  men  is  he  captain  of?  " 

"  About  thirty,  if  you're  anxious  to  know." 

"  Thirty !  There  are  not  that  number  of  des 
peradoes  within  three  hundred  miles  of  this 
place." 

"  All  right,  if  you  know  better  than  I  do." 

"  Has  the  captain  gone  off  for  the  rest  of  my 
party?" 

"  Perhaps  he  has." 

"  It  won't  do  him  any  good  to  make  them  pris 
oners." 

"  I  reckon  he  knows  his  own  business  best,  Cap 
tain  Moore." 

"  And  what  will  you  get  out  of  this  affair, 
Potts?" 

"  Me?  I'll  get  my  share  when  we  make  an 
other  haul." 

"  Do  you  expect  to  make  another  haul  soon?  " 

"  As  I  said  afore,  better  ask  the  captain.  We're 
organized  into  a  regular  company  now,  and  all  the 
privates  like  me  have  to  do  is  to  obey  orders. 
You  know  how  it  is  in  the  regular  army." 

"  A  company  of  desperadoes,"  mused  Captain 
Moore.  "  That's  something  we  haven't  had  out 
here  in  years." 

Potts  would  talk  no  more  after  this,  but  sat 


1*8  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

down  on  a  rock  to  smoke  his  pipe  and  continue  his 
guard  duty. 

The  young  captain  had  had  his  hands  bound 
tightly  behind  him,  and,  try  his  best,  he  found 
himself  unable  to  either  break  or  slip  his  bonds. 

He  was  anxious  concerning  himself,  but  he  was 
even  more  upset  concerning  his  brother  and  his 
cousin. 

"  If  they  kick  up  a  fuss,  more  than  likely  Gilroy 
and  the  others  will  shoot  them  down ! "  he 
groaned.  "  It's  too  bad !  I  thought  we  would 
have  a  splendid  time  hunting,  and  here  we  are, 
falling  into  all  sorts  of  difficulties." 

As  impatient  as  he  was,  he  could  do  nothing 
but  stalk  around  the  cave.  The  place  was  five 
yards  wide  by  over  a  hundred  feet  long.  To  the 
rear  was  a  rude  fireplace,  the  smoke  drifting 
through  some  wide  cracks  overhead.  A  small  fire 
was  burning,  and  he  kicked  a  fresh  log  on  the 
blaze,  which  soon  gave  him  more  light.  Then  he 
sat  down  again. 

As  he  rested,  his  eyes  roamed  around  the  rocky 
apartment,  and  presently  fell  upon  a  sheet  of 
paper  lying  under  the  table.  Curious  to  know 
what  it  might  contain,  he  bent  down  backwards, 
and  by  an  effort  secured  the  paper  and  placed  it 
upon  the  table.  Then,  by  the  flickering  flames,  he 
tried  to  make  out  the  writing  it  contained. 


CAPTAIN  MOORE'S  ADVENTURE.  "9 

The  letter — for  such  the  sheet  proved  to  be! — 
was  a  communication  which  had  been  sent  to  Matt 
Gilroy  by  a  writer  who  signed  himself  Mose.  It 
ran  as  follows : 

"  The  plan  will  work  perfectly,  and  all  we  must 
do  is  to  wait  until  the  money  is  at  the  fort.  I  am 
sure  the  soldiers  will  leave  as  requested,  and  the 
defense  will  amount  to  little  or  nothing.  Will 
see  to  it  that  Colonel  Fairfield  is  drugged,  and  will 
treat  Captain  Moore  and  the  other  officers  the 
same  way,  if  I  can  get  the  chance." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THREE     PRISONERS. 

IT  did  not  take  Joe  and  Darry  long  to  retrace 
their  steps  at  the  water-course.  They  continued 
to  call  to  the  young  captain,  and  once  Joe  shot  off 
his  rifle  as  a  signal,  but,  as  we  know,  no  answer 
came  back. 

"  I  can't  understand  this  at  all,"  said  Joe,  when 
they  halted  near  the  shelter.  "  I  didn't  hear  him 
do  any  firing,  did  you  ?  " 

"  Not  a  shot,"  answered  Darry.  "  He  must 
have  gone  away  from  the  brook  instead  of  along 
the  bank." 

The  two  boys  hung  around  the  shelter  for  some 
time,  and  then  decided  to  follow  up  the  trail  left 
by  the  young  officer. 

This  was  easy  for  part  of  the  distance,  but  soon 
the  footprints  became  so  indistinct  that  they  came 
to  another  halt.  • 

"  Stumped !  "  muttered  Joe.  "  We  might  as 
well  go  back  to  the  shelter  and  wait  till  he  returns. 
One  thing  is  certain,  he  hasn't  found  any  game,  or 
we  would  have  heard  the  firing." 

Tired  by  their  long  tramp  the  boys  sat  down 
130 


THREE  PRISONERS.  13! 

in  the  shelter,  thinking  that  Captain  Moore  would 
return  at  any  moment. 

Thus  an  hour  was  passed.  It  was  now  noon, 
and  Joe  and  Darry  set  to  work  to  prepare  dinner 
for  themselves. 

The  repast  was  just  finished  when  Joe  let  out  a 
cry  of  alarm. 

"Matt  Gilroy!" 

He  was  right.  The  captain  of  the  desperadoes 
had  appeared,  followed  by  several  others. 

The  boys  were  taken  completely  off  their  guard. 
Darry  made  a  clutch  for  his  rifle,  but  on  the  in 
stant  Gilroy  had  him  covered. 

"  Leave  the  gun  alone !  "  cried  the  rascal. 
"  Leave  it  alone,  or  it  will  be  the  worse  for  you." 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  questioned  Joe. 

"  We  want  you  to  behave  yourselves,"  an 
swered  Fetter,  who  was  in  the  crowd. 

"  You  played  us  a  nice  trick  that  time  you  es 
caped  from  the  cave,"  growled  Gilroy,  eying  Joe 
darkly. 

"  Do  you  blame  me  for  wanting  to  get  away?  " 

"  Hardly.  But  I'll  warrant  you  won't  get 
away  again." 

"  Then  you  consider  me  your  prisoner?  " 

"  I  do." 

"  Oh,  Joe,  do  you  think  they  met  Will——" 
began  Darry,  and  then  stopped  short. 


132  SOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

1  Yes,  your  brother  is  waiting  to  meet  you," 
said  Fetter,  addressing  Joe. 

"  Then  he  is  also  a  prisoner?  " 

"  Yes." 

Joe's  heart  sank  within  him. 

"  If  old  Benson  was  only  here !  "  he  muttered. 

Still  guarding  the  boys,  the  desperadoes  took 
their  guns  and  also  a  pistol  the  young  captain 
had  loaned  his  brother. 

"  Now  get  on  your  horses,"  commanded  Gilroy. 
"  And  mind,  if  you  try  to  play  us  foul  both  of  you 
will  get  shot." 

"  Are  you  going  to  take  us  to  Captain  Moore?  " 
asked  Darry. 

"  Perhaps." 

The  desperadoes  would  answer  no  more  ques 
tions,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  party  was 
off  for  the  cave.  Both  Darry  and  Joe  wished  to 
leave  behind  some  sort  of  message  which  Benson 
might  pick  up,  but  they  were  watched  so  closely 
they  could  do  nothing. 

When  the  cave  was  gained  the  boys  were  told  to 
go  inside  and  keep  quiet. 

"Joe!  and  you  too,  Darry!."  cried  Captain 
Moore.  "  I  was  afraid  of  this." 

"  No  wonder  we  couldn't  find  you !  "  said  Joe, 
and  told  of  the  hunt  he  and  his  cousin  had  made. 

"  These  rascals  are  up  to  some  deep  game," 


THREE  PRISONERS.  133 

whispered  the  young  captain.  "  I  just  picked  up 
a  message  which  Gilroy  must  have  dropped,"  and 
he  told  what  the  sheet  contained. 

"  If  I  were  you  I'd  burn  the  paper,"  said  Darry. 
"  Then  he  won't  know  you  have  seen  it." 

"  No,  I  would  like  to  keep  the  sheet — to  show 
to  Colonel  Fairfield  if  I  can  manage  to  get  away." 

"  Who  wrote  the  message?  " 

"  I  have  no  idea.  There  used  to  be  a  half-breed 
around  here  whom  the  soldiers  called  Mose,  but  I 
thought  he  was  dead.  He  was  thick  with  the 
Modoc  Indians." 

u  Then  if  he  was  the  writer  that  would  show 
that  the  Indians  are  going  to  help  the  desperadoes, 
wouldn't  it?  "  asked  Joe. 

Before  his  brother  could  answer,  Matt  Gilroy 
stalked  into  the  cave. 

"  I  told  you  not  to  talk,"  he  growled,  as  he  cast 
his  eye  on  the  table  and  then  around  the  rocky 
floor.  "  You  can't  get  away,  so  it  won't  do  you 
any  good  to  plot  against  me  and  my  men." 

He  was  evidently  looking  for  the  sheet  of  paper, 
for  presently  he  lit  a  torch  and  went  over  the 
whole  cave  carefully. 

"  See  anything  of  a  bit  of  paper  around  here?  " 
he  asked  presently. 

"  What  kind  of  a  paper  ?  "  questioned  Darry. 

"  Something  with  writing  on  it." 


134  SOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"  I  haven't  seen  anything." 

"  What  was  the  writing  about,  Gilroy?  "  asked 
Captain  Moore. 

"  That's  my  business.  Then  you  haven't  seen 
the  paper?  All  right,"  and  the  desperado  stalked 
from  the  cave  again. 

"  That  was  a  close  shave,"  whispered  the  young 
captain.  "  And  it  proves  that  the  paper  is  valu 
able  and  that  he  is  worried  about  it." 

Slowly  the  balance  of  the  day  wore  along,  and 
at  nightfall  one  of  the  men  brought  them  a  scanty 
supply  of  food. 

They  ate  sparingly,  fearing  the  food  might  be 
drugged,  but  no  evil  effects  followed  the  meal. 

At  the  mouth  of  the  cave  sat  two  of  the  des 
peradoes  on  guard,  each  with  his  rifle  across  his 
knees. 

"  A  dash  into  the  darkness  might  save  us,"  sug 
gested  Darry,  but  the  captain  shook  his  head. 

"  No,  those  fellows  are  too  good  shots,"  he  said. 
"  We  will  have  to  remain  as  we  are  until  some 
thing  turns  up  in  our  favor." 

Our  friends  wondered  if  the  desperadoes  would 
remain  about  the  cave  all  night.  The  other  party 
which  had  gone  off  when  Gilroy  went  for  Joe  and 
Darry  had  not  yet  returned,  and  the  leader  of 
the  gang  seemed  to  grow  anxious  concerning 
them. 


THREE  PRISONERS.  135 

"  Something  has  happened  to  them/'  he  said  to 
Fetter.  "  Perhaps  we  had  better  send  somebody 
off  on  the  trail  to  find  out  what's  up." 

So  it  was  agreed,  and  Fetter  was  the  man 
chosen  for  the  mission. 

As  may  have  been  surmised  by  some  of  my 
readers,  the  other  party  had  gone  off  to  watch  for 
old  Benson  and  make  him  a  prisoner.  The  crowd 
numbered  three,  and  were  desperadoes  well  ac 
quainted  with  that  territory. 

The  old  scout  had  spent  several  hours  in  a  vain 
endeavor  to  locate  some  buffalo,  when,  on  resting 
in  the  crotch  of  a  tree,  he  saw  the  desperadoes  ap 
proaching. 

The  rascals  were  tired  out  with  their  search 
for  the  scout,  and  came  to  a  halt  directly  under  the 
tree. 

"  It's  a  fool  errand,"  old  Benson  heard  one  of 
the  men  say.  "  Matt  Gilroy  ought  to  have  been 
satisfied  with  corraling  Captain  Moore  and  those 
boys." 

"  The  captain  wants  to  make  a  grand  round 
up,"  answered  another  of  the  men.  "  He  told  me 
that  if  we  missed  Benson  the  scout  might  make 
trouble." 

Benson  listened  to  this  conversation  with  in 
tense  interest,  and  soon  learned  the  truth — that 
Captain  Moore  was  already  a  prisoner,  and  that 


I36  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

another  party  had  gone  off  to  bring  in  Joe  and 
Darry. 

"  This  is  a  nice  state  of  affairs,"  he  thought. 
i  These  rascals  mean  mischief.  I  wish  I  could 
get  the  drop  on  them.  I'd  soon  teach  them  a 
thing  or  two." 

He  watched  the  men  as  a  cat  watches  mice,  and, 
when  the  party  of  three  moved  on,  stole  after 
them  like  an  Indian  on  the  warpath. 

The  desperadoes  skirted  the  brushwood,  but 
did  not  go  out  on  the  grassy  slope  of  the  valley, 
fearing  that  the  old  scout  might  be  near  by  in  hid 
ing  and  see  them. 

They  were  a  shiftless  lot,  and  soon  came  to  an 
other  halt,  under  some  small  trees.  Here  they 
threw  themselves  on  the  ground,  and  while  two 
of  them  smoked  their  pipes  the  third  indulged  in 
a  nap. 

Not  a  great  distance  off  was  a  spring  of  pure 
cold  water,  and  presently  one  of  the  men  got  up 
and  walked  over  to  this  to  get  a  drink. 

"  My  chance  for  number  one!  "  muttered  old 
Benson,  and  crawled  after  the  desperado.  As  the 
man  turned  the  corner  of  a  number  of  rocks,  he 
came  up  behind,  clapped  his  hands  over  the  fel 
low's  mouth,  and  bore  him  to  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BENSON    PUTS    SOME    MEN    IN    A    HOLE. 

THE  man  whom  old  Benson  had  attacked  was 
taken  completely  by  surprise,  and  he  went  to  the 
ground  easily.  But,  once  down,  he  struggled 
fiercely  to  release  himself,  and  at  the  same  time 
did  his  best  to  cry  out  for  assistance. 

"  Silence!  "  commanded  the  scout  in  a  whisper. 
"If  you  yell,  it  will  go  hard  with  you." 

The  desperado  now  saw  who  had  attacked  him, 
and  his  face  changed  color.  But  he  continued  to 
struggle,  and  was  on  the  point  of  breaking  away 
when  the  old  scout  hit  him  a  heavy  blow  on  the 
ear,  which  bowled  him  over  and  rendered  him 
partly  unconscious. 

"  Hi !  did  you  call?  "  came  from  the  other  man 
who  had  been  smoking. 

Old  Benson  looked  at  the  man  before  him,  and 
saw  that  the  fellow  would  be  unable  to  do  any 
thing  for  several  minutes  to  come. 

"Yes,"  he  answered,  in  a  rough  voice. 
"  Here's  something  funny  to  look  at.  Come 
quick." 


138  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

At  once  the  second  man  leaped  up,  and  with 
out  stopping  to  pick  up  his  rifle  came  to  the  spring. 
Old  Benson  quickly  stepped  behind  a  bush,  out  of 
sight. 

"  Hullo,  Riley,  what's  the  trouble?  "  cried  the 
second  man  when  he  beheld  his  prostrate  com 
panion. 

He  bent  over  Riley,  and  while  he  was  making 
an  examination  old  Benson  came  behind  him  and 
threw  him  as  he  had  thrown  the  first  desperado. 

But  the  second  man  was  "  game,"  and  the 
struggle  lasted  for  several  minutes.  At  one  time 
it  looked  as  if  the  old  scout  would  get  the  worst 
of  the  encounter,  but  in  the  end  he  triumphed  and 
the  rascal  was  disarmed. 

All  the  time  the  struggle  was  going  on  Benson 
had  been  afraid  the  third  man  would  rouse  up, 
especially  as  the  second  called  several  times  for 
help.  But  the  rascal  had  now  fallen  into  a  heavy 
sleep,  and  heard  nothing. 

What  to  do  with  the  two  desperadoes  before 
him  the  old  scout  did  not  know,  until  he  suddenly 
thought  of  a  big  cave-like  hole  he  had  discovered 
that  very  morning,  while  hunting  for  buffalo 
tracks.  The  hole  was  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  in 
diameter  and  twice  as  deep,  and  once  at  the  bot 
tom  he  felt  certain  the  desperadoes  would  have 
considerable  trouble  in  getting  to  the  top. 


BENSON  PUTS  SOME  MEN  IN  A  HOLE.      139 

"  Come  with  me,"  he  said  to  the  second  fellow. 
"  And  no  monkey  shines,  if  you  know  when  you 
are  well  off." 

"  Wot  yer  goin'  to  do  wid  me?  "  growled  the 
desperado. 

:'  You'll  see.  Your  blood  is  so  hot  it  needs 
cooling  off,"  answered  the  old  scout. 

He  forced  the  man  along,  and  soon  the  big  hole 
was  reached.  Much  against  his  will,  the  rascal 
was  forced  to  drop  to  the  bottom. 

"  Now,  if  you  try  to  climb  up  I'll  shoot  you," 
said  Benson,  and  ran  back  swiftly  to  where  the 
second  rascal  was  just  getting  out  of  his  uncon 
scious  state. 

Before  the  other  desperado  could  realize  what 
was  coming  he,  too,  was  down  in  the  big  hole. 
Old  Benson  made  certain  that  each  of  the  men  was 
relieved  of  all  his  weapons. 

"  Now,  I'm  going  to  keep  watch  on  you,"  he 
said,  as  a  warning.  "  Be  careful  of  what  you  try 
to  do." 

"  Don't  leave  us  here!"  pleaded  Riley.  "A 
buffalo  or  a  bear  might  fall  in  on  us." 

'  You've  got  to  take  your  chances  on  that,"  an 
swered  Benson. 

The  next  movement  of  the  old  scout  was  to  go 
back  to  where  the  third  man  was  sleeping.  It 
was  an  easy  matter  to  secure  ail  the  weapons  be- 


140  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

longing  to  this  fellow.  Then  Benson  procured  a 
rope  from  their  outfit,  and  bound  his  feet  together 
and  then  his  hands.  During  the  latter  operation 
the  rascal  awoke. 

"Wot  yer  doin'?"  he  demanded  sleepily,  and 
then,  seeing  the  old  scout,  stared  in  open-mouthed 
astonishment.  "  Let  go  o'  me!  Wot  did  yer  tie 
me  up  fer?  " 

"  You  keep  quiet,"  said  Benson,  with  a  broad 
smile  over  the  trick  he  had  played. 

"  Whar's  Riley  an'  Nason?  " 

"  Not  far  off." 

"  Did  they  go  ter  sleep  too?  " 

"  You  can  ask  them  when  you  see  them,  Ander 
son." 

"  So  you  know  me,  do  yer?  " 

"  I  do,  and  I  haven't  forgotten  that  affair  at 
Mountain  Meadow,"  went  on  old  Benson,  refer 
ring  to  a  shooting  in  which  Anderson  had  been 
the  guilty  party. 

At  these  words  the  desperado  winced. 

"  Well,  now  ye  have  got  me  fast,  wot  yer  goin' 
to  do  with  me?  "  he  questioned. 

"  I'm  going  to  ask  you  a  few  questions,  Ander 
son,  and  I  want  you  to  answer  me  straight,  too. 
If  I  learn  you've  given  it  to  me  crooked,  I'll  fix 
you  for  it,  remember  that." 

"  Wot  do  yer  want  to  know  ?  " 


3ENSON  PUTS  SOME  MEN  IN  A   HOLE.      14* 

"  Where  are  Gilroy  and  the  rest  of  your  crowd 
stopping?  " 

"  Wot  do  yer  want  to  know  that  fur?  " 

"  Answer  the  question — and  tell  me  the  truth," 
and  old  Benson  looked  sternly  at  his  prisoner. 

"  At  a  cave  near  Bald  Top/'  returned  Ander 
son  sulkily.  "  But  I  don't  know  how  long  they 
were  goin'  ter  stay  there." 

"  Where  were  they  going  to  take  Captain 
Moore?" 

This  question  came  as  a  surprise  to  the  des 
perado. 

"  Wot  do  yer  know  about  dat  ?  "  he  cried. 

"  Answer  the  question." 

"  Coin'  ter  take  him  to  dat  same  cave,  first." 

"And  then?" 

"  Dey  was  bound  fer  Lone  Creek,  up  to  where 
old  Cimber  onct  had  a  claim." 

'  You  are  telling  me  the  truth  ?  Remember, 
if  you  put  me  on  the  wrong  trail " 

"  It's  the  truth,  Benson.  But,  say,  don't  be 
rough  on  me.  I  aint  such  a  bad  egg.  Dat 
shootin' " 

"  I  know  all  about  you,  Anderson.  Now  come 
•with  me." 

Reaching  down,  the  old  scout  untied  the  rascal's 
feet,  that  he  might  walk,  and  then  forced  Ander 
son  to  journey  to  the  big  hole. 


*4*  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Here  they  found  the  other  two  desperadoes  sit 
ting  at  the  bottom,  growling  over  their  luck  and 
speculating  upon  what  old  Benson  intended  to  do 
next. 

"  If  you  leave  us  here  we'll  die  of  hunger  and 
thirst,"  said  one. 

"  No,  you  won't/'  answered  the  old  scout. 
'  You've  got  your  hands  to  work  with,  and  if  you 
aint  lazy  you  can  dig  your  way  to  the  top  inside  of 
twenty-four  hours." 

"And  our  hosses?  " 

"  I'll  take  care  of  them,  Riley.  If  you  want 
'em  again  you  can  get  'em  by  applying  at  the  fort." 

"At  the  fort!" 

"  Exactly,  and  in  the  meantime  we'll  keep  them 
in  exchange  for  the  animals  Matt  Gilroy  stole, 
when  I  and  my  friends  were  stopping  at  Hank 
Leeson's  cabin." 

With  the  desperadoes  safe  for  the  time  being  at 
the  bottom  of  the  hole,  old  Benson  set  off  without 
delay  for  the  cave  near  Bald  Top  Mountain,  as  it 
was  called  for  years  by  Rocky  Mountain  pioneers. 
He  rode  his  own  horse,  leading  the  others  by  his 
lariat,  which  he  always  carried  with  him. 

He  fully  realized  that  there  was  danger  ahead, 
and  that  if  he  wanted  to  assist  his  friends  he  must 
move  with  caution.  He  knew  that  Captain  Moore 
had  been  made  a  prisoner,  but  whether  or  not  Joe 


BENS02V  PUTS  SOME  MEN  IN  A  HOLE.      143 

and  Darry  had  been  captured  also  was  still  a 
question. 

Coming  in  sight  of  the  spot  where  the  cave  was 
located,  he  dismounted  and  tied  all  the  horses  in 
the  woods  at  the  foot  of  a  slope.  Then  he 
crawled  forward  until  he  was  within  a  hundred 
feet  of  the  entrance  to  the  cave. 

He  was  just  in  time  to  see  Fetter  depart  on  his 
mission.  The  desperado  passed  within  fifty  yards 
of  where  the  horses  were  stationed,  and  for  sev 
eral  minutes  Benson  was  fearful  that  the  animals 
would  be  discovered.  But  Fetter  was  looking  in 
another  direction,  and  so  saw  nothing  of  the 
steeds. 

As  darkness  had  come  on,  the  desperadoes  had 
lit  a  camp-fire  near  the  entrance  to  the  cave. 

Two  men  still  remained  on  guard.  The  others 
took  it  easy,  and  did  very  much  as  they  pleased. 
All  waited  for  Riley  and  the  others  to  return  with 
Fetter,  bringing  in  old  Benson  as  a  prisoner. 

As  the  scout  heard  the  talk  about  himself  he 
chuckled  grimly  and  grasped  his  rifle  tighter  than 
ever. 

"  Reckon  you'd  be  surprised  to  know  I  was  so 
close,"  he  muttered.  "  Well,  if  it  comes  to  a  mix- 
up,  I'll  try  to  hold  up  my  end,  just  you  see  if  I 
don't!" 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

ESCAPING    IN    THE    DARKNESS. 

IT  was  after  midnight  when  the  camp  settled 
down  to  rest.  Fetter  had  not  returned,  and  Matt 
Gilroy  was  much  worried  in  consequence.  Yet 
he  was  tired  out,  having  lost  a  good  portion  of 
the  night  previous  in  traveling,  and  he  lay  down 
with  the  others. 

The  guards  at  the  entrance  to  the  cave  had  been 
changed.  Those  now  there  were  two  young 
men,  recruits  to  the  desperadoes'  organization. 

Inside  of  the  cave  Captain  Moore,  Joe,  and 
Darry,  having  untied  each  other's  bonds,  held  a 
long  consultation,  the  upshot  of  which  was  that 
they  intended  to  escape  if  the  deed  could  be  ac 
complished. 

''  There  is  no  use  in  telling  you  that  we  will  run 
a  big  risk,"  said  the  captain.  "  But  as  for  myself, 
these  rascals  are  plotting  against  Colonel  Fair- 
field  and  the  soldiers  at  the  fort,  and  I  feel  it  my 
duty  to  do  my  best  toward  getting  away  and 
warning  my  commander/' 

"  Whatever  you  do,  Will,  I  will  back  you  up,  so 
far  as  I  am  able,"  was  his  brother's  answer. 

"  And  I  will  back  you  up,  too,"  came  from 

144 


ESCAPING  IN   THE  DARKNESS.  145 

Darry.  "  But  we  must  be  cautious,  for  these  des 
peradoes  will  not  hesitate  to  shoot,  and  shoot  to 
kill."  And  the  boy  shivered  in  spite  of  himself, 
for  no  matter  how  brave  a  person  may  be  he  sel 
dom  cares  to  run  the  risk  of  losing  his  life. 

The  prisoners  had  been  ordered  to  keep  to  the 
back  of  the  cave,  but  after  all  but  the  guards  had 
retired  Captain  Moore  made  bold  enough  to  walk 
carefully  to  the  mouth  of  the  place. 

"  Hi,  you  want  to  keep  back  there,"  growled 
one  of  the  guards,  promptly  raising  his  rifle. 

"  Don't  be  hard  on  us,"  pleaded  the  captain. 
"  Let  me  get  a  little  fresh  air.  It's  vile  in  the 
back  of  the  cave." 

"  Orders  were  to  keep  you  out  of  sight," 
growled  the  second  guard. 

"  All  right,  I'll  go  back  as  soon  as  I've  cleaned 
out  my  lungs." 

While  the  captain  was  speaking  he  was  peering 
around  sharply,  trying  to  locate  the  other  des 
peradoes  and  ascertain  what  the  chances  of  escape 
really  were. 

As  he  gazed  first  to  one  side  and  then  the  other, 
he  caught  sight  of  a  hand  waving  in  the  air.  A 
second  later  he  made  out  the  head  and  shoulders 
of  old  Benson,  as  the  scout  rose  to  his  feet  behind 
some  brushwood. 

The  thought  that  the  scout  was  at  hand  to  assist 


146  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

them  cheered  the  young  officer  wonderfully,  and 
he  drew  a  deep  breath  of  satisfaction. 

"  Are  you  going  back  soon  ?  "  growled  one  of 
the  guards. 

"  Yes,"  answered  the  captain.  "  But  I  say," 
he  went  on,  "  why  can't  we  come  to  terms?  " 

"  Don't  want  to  make  any  terms  with  you," 
growled  the  other  guard. 

"  It  might  be  better  for  you  to  do  so." 

"  We  know  our  own  business  best,  captain. 
You  just  go  back  as  you  was  ordered  to  do.  If 
you  don't " 

"  I  don't  feel  safe  in  the  cave,  men,  to  tell  the 
truth.  What  is  that  pounding  overhead  ?  " 

"  Pounding  overhead?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  Don't  know  of  any  pounding.  Do  you,  Ike?  " 

"  Nary  a  bit,"  replied  the  other  guard. 

By  this  time  Joe  and  Darry  were  just  behind 
the  young  officer. 

"  Watch  out,"  whispered  Captain  Moore. 
"  Old  Benson  is  outside,  in  the  bushes  on  the  left." 

"  Good  for  him !  "  whispered  Joe  joyfully. 

"  What  are  you  talking  about?  "  demanded  one 
of  the  guards. 

"  I  want  to  know  about  that  pounding  over 
head,"  said  Captain  Moore.  "  I  don't  want  the 
roof  to  cave  in  on  us." 


ESCAPING  IN   THE  DARKNESS.  1 47 

He  spoke  so  decidedly  that  both  of  the  guards 
were  deceived. 

"  Nobody  is  up  there/'  said  one  of  the  two. 
"  It  must  be  some  wild  animal." 

"  Can't  one  of  you  go  up  and  look  ?  "  asked  the 
young  officer. 

"  You  want  the  chance  to  get  away,"  was  the 
suspicious  answer. 

"  How  can  we  get  away,  when  we  are  unarmed 
and  you  have  that  rifle,"  went  on  the  captain, 
speaking  loudly,  for  old  Benson's  benefit.  "  It 
won't  take  you  a  minute  to  look." 

The  men,  however,  refused  to  budge. 

"  We'll  stay  right  here,"  said  one,  and  the  other 
nodded  affirmatively. 

In  the  meantime  old  Benson  had  crawled  closer, 
until  he  was  directly  behind  the  pair. 

Now  of  a  sudden  he  leaped  between  them,  and 
as  quick  as  a  flash  caught  their  rifles  and  twisted 
the  weapons  from  their  grasp. 

As  the  old  scout  did  this,  the  young  captain  also 
leaped  in,  followed  by  Joe  and  Darry. 

The  guards  struggled,  but  with  four  against 
them  could  do  little  or  nothing.  One,  however, 
had  a  powerful  pair  of  lungs,  and  before  he  could 
be  stopped,  set  up  a  loud  cry  of  alarm. 

"  Come  with  me !  "  cried  old  Benson.  "  Be 
quick,  or  it  will  be  too  late ! " 


148  SOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

He  led  the  way  to  the  wood  where  the  horses 
were  tethered,  and  the  captain,  Joe,  and  Darry 
came  close  behind  him. 

Hardly  had  they  gotten  away  from  the  guards 
when  the  whole  camp  was  in  alarm. 

"  What's  the  trouble?  "  demanded  Matt  Gilroy, 
leaping  to  his  feet  and  catching  up  his  rifle. 

"  The  prisoners  have  escaped !  "  answered  one 
of  the  guards.  "  We  were  attacked  by  some  men 
from  behind.  There  they  go !  " 

"  Stop!  "  roared  the  leader  of  the  desperadoes, 
and  raised  his  rifle.  But  before  he  could  take  aim 
our  friends  were  behind  the  shelter  of  the  trees. 

It  took  but  a  few  seconds  to  loosen  the  horses, 
and  as  the  captain  and  the  two  boys  had  long  since 
relieved  themselves  of  their  bonds  they  were  soon 
in  the  saddle  and  following  the  old  scout,  who 
seemed  to  know  the  way  perfectly,  despite  the 
darkness. 

"  It  was  lucky  you  came  up,  Benson ! "  cried 
Joe,  as  they  dashed  along. 

"  Wait,  we  are  not  yet  out  of  this  trouble,"  an 
swered  Benson.  "  Hark!  they  are  following!  " 

He  was  right.  Gilroy  and  several  of  his  men 
had  rushed  to  their  horses,  and  were  now  com 
ing  along  the  forest  trail  at  a  good  rate  of  speed. 

But  their  horses  were  no  better  than  the  animals 
our  friends  rode,  so  the  desperadoes  did  not  sue* 


ESCAPING  IN   THE  DARKNESS.  H9 

ceed  in  cutting  down  the  distance  between  the  two 
parties,  and  at  last  gave  up  the  chase. 

"  It  has  been  a  most  stirring  adventure  from 
start  to  finish,"  said  Captain  Moore  after  each  had 
told  his  story.  "  And  it  brings  to  an  end  this 
outing.  1  must  now  get  to  the  fort  without 
delay." 

"  And  I  am  perfectly  willing  to  go  along,"  said 
Darry.  "  There  is  no  fun  in  hunting  in  a  country 
where  the  desperadoes  are  so  thick." 

"  This  will  open  Colonel  Fairfield's  eyes,"  went 
on  the  young  officer.  "  I  shouldn't  be  surprised 
if  he  organized  another  expedition  against  Gil- 
roy's  gang  and  didn't  let  up  on  them  until  they 
were  all  either  in  prison  or  shot  down." 

"  It's  what  they  deserve,"  came  from  old  Ben 
son.  "  I'll  go  on  such  a  hunt  with  pleasure." 

Our  friends  continued  in  the  saddle  all  night 
and  until  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning.  Then, 
tired  and  hot,  they  went  into  camp  by  a  cooling 
stream.  Here  they  went  fishing,  and  soon  caught 
enough  fish  for  dinner,  after  which  they  took  a 
nap  lasting  several  hours. 

"  And  now  for  the  fort !  "  cried  Captain  Moore; 
"  and  the  sooner  we  get  there  the  better." 

The  nap  had  done  the  boys  a  world  of  good, 
and  as  they  rode  along  their  spirits  rose  so  high 
that  Darry  proposed  a  race.  Joe  was  willing,  and 


15°  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

away  they  went,  along  the  well-defined  trail,  be 
fore  either  the  young  officer  or  the  old  scout  could 
stop  them. 

"They  are  full  of  life,"  said  Joe's  brother. 
"Let  them  go.  We'll  make  the  fort  to-night, 
even  if  they  do  tire  the  horses  a  bit." 

"  It's  all  right  if  they  don't  get  into  trouble," 
answered  Benson. 

On  and  on  went  the  two  lads,  down  something 
of  a  slope  and  then  along  a  level  stretch.  The 
bushes  grew  thick  upon  both  sides,  and  here  and 
there  were  numerous  wild  flowers.  At  last  they 
reached  a  glade  rich  with  green  grass. 

Joe  was  slightly  ahead  when  he  came  to  a  sud 
den  halt. 

"  Back,  Darry !  "  he  cried.  "  Get  back  behind 
the  bushes." 

"What's  up?"  queried  His  cousin,  as  he 
brought  his  steed  to  a  standstill. 

"Buffaloes!" 

"Buffaloes!     Where?" 

"  Right  around  the  cliff  on  our  right.  See, 
they  are  coming  this  way !  Here's  luck." 

Joe  was  right;  they  had  come  most  unexpect 
edly  upon  a  herd  of  seven  buffaloes.  The  shaggy 
beasts  were  all  large  and  powerful-looking. 
They  were  not  in  the  least  alarmed,  and  came 
toward  the  boys  at  a  slow  but  steady  walk. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SOMETHING    ABOUT    WHITE    OX. 

"  WHAT  shall  we  do,  Joe;  wait  until  your 
brother  and  old  Benson  come  up?  "  asked  Darry, 
as  they  surveyed  the  approaching  animals. 

"  I  suppose  we  ought  to  wait,"  answered  Joe. 
"  But  if  they  take  alarm,  they'll  be  off  in  double- 
quick  order,  I  am  afraid." 

Each  of  the  boys  brought  around  his  rifle, 
which  had  been  picked  up  on  leaving  the  des 
peradoes'  rendezvous,  and  saw  that  it  was  ready 
for  use. 

"  If  we  could  only  signal  to  the  others!  "  sug 
gested  Darry  impatiently. 

"  One  of  us  might  go  back,"  began  Joe,  when 
he  gave  a  sudden  start.  "  They  see  us !  See, 
they  are  turning  away !  "  he  cried. 

Hardly  had  he  spoken  when  Darry  fired,  aim 
ing  at  the  largest  of  the  buffaloes.  Joe  followed, 
with  a  second  shot,  aimed  at  the  same  beast. 
Both  bullets  reached  their  mark,  and  the  animal 
was  hit  in  the  breast  and  in  the  right  foreleg. 

"  We  hit  him !  "  ejaculated  Darry.  "  Let  us 
fire  at  him  again !  "  And  he  started  to  reload 
with  all  speed. 


*5a  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

When  struck  the  buffalo  uttered  a  bellow  of 
pain  and  went  down  on  his  knees.  But  he  quickly 
arose,  and  now  came  straight  for  the  boys,  his 
head  down,  as  if  to  gore  them  to  death. 

Crack!  It  was  Barry's  rifle  which  spoke  up, 
and  the  buffalo  staggered,  hit  on  the  head,  a  glanc 
ing  blow,  however,  which  did  little  damage. 

By  this  time  Joe  had  reloaded,  but  he  did  not 
fire  at  once,  hoping  to  get  a  closer  shot  at  the 
beast.  In  the  meantime  the  others  of  the  herd 
had  disappeared  completely. 

Soon  the  buffalo  was  less  than  fifty  yards  off, 
and  not  daring  to  wait  longer  Joe  took  steady 
aim  and  let  drive.  His  rifle-barrel  had  been 
pointed  at  one  of  those  gleaming,  bloodshot  eyes, 
and  the  bullet  sped  true,  entering  the  brain  of  the 
beast.  With  a  roar  and  a  grunt  the  buffalo  went 
down,  tearing  up  a  great  patch  of  grass  in  his  fall. 

"  Hi !  what's  all  the  shooting  about  ?  "  The 
cry  came  from  Benson,  as  he  rode  down  the  trail 
at  a  breakneck  speed,  rifle  ready  for  use. 

"  A  buffalo •!"  cried  Darry. 

"A  buffalo?     Look  out  for  yourselves/' 
'  Yes,  take  care/'  came  from  Captain  Moore, 
who  was  behind  the  old  scout. 

"  We've  fixed  him,"  said  Joe,  not  without  a 
good  deal  of  pardonable  pride. 

"  Fixed  him  ?  "     Old  Benson  looked  out  upon 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   WHITE   OX.  153 

the  glade.  "By  the  great  Jehosophat!"  he 
roared.  "  Gone  and  shot  a  buffalo  all  by  your 
lone  selves!  Or  maybe  he  was  dead  when  you 
got  here?  "  he  added  suspiciously. 

'  You  wouldn't  think  he  was  dead,  if  you  could 
have  seen  him  come  toward  us,"  said  Darry. 

"  But  who  shot  him  ?     I  heard  four  shots/' 

"  And  every  one  of  'em  went  into  the  buffalo," 
answered  Joe.  "  Two  for  Darry  and  two  for 
myself." 

"  But  Joe  finished  him,  with  a  shot  in  the  eye/' 
said  Darry  quickly. 

"  But  Darry  hit  him  in  the  leg,  and  that  lamed 
him/'  said  Joe,  just  as  quickly.  "  I  guess  honors 
are  even." 

"  Certainly  remarkable  shooting,"  was  Cap 
tain  Moore's  comment.  "  Old  hunters  couldn't 
do  better,  could  they,  Benson?  " 

"  Not  much  better,  captain.  I  never  would 
have  dreamed  of  it,  boys.  And  to  think  I  couldn't 
get  a  smell  of  'em  when  I  was  out  looking  'em 
up,"  Benson  said,  shaking  his  head  dubiously. 

'  This    buffalo    wasn't    alone,"    said    Darry. 
1  The  others  went  in  that  direction.     You  might 
follow  them  up." 

"  It  wouldn't  be  any  use  now,  lad.  They  are 
gone,  and  that's  the  end  of  it." 

"  We  mustn't  lose  too  much  time,"  put  in  the 


1 54  BO YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

young  captain.  "  I  must  make  the  fort  to-night, 
no  matter  what  comes." 

"  But,  Will,  we  can't  leave  this  magnificent 
buffalo  behind,"  pleaded  his  brother.  "  Darry 
and  I  will  want  the  skin,  and  we'll  want  to  mount 
the  head  and  horns,  eh,  Darry  ?  " 

"  To  be  sure." 

"  How  long  will  it  take  to  skin  the  beast,  Ben 
son?" 

"  An  hour  and  over,  if  I  want  to  make  a  good 
job  of  it,"  was  the  slow  reply.  "  It's  too  nice  a 
hide  to  ruin  by  quick  cutting." 

"  Supposing  I  ride  ahead  then,  and  you  follow 
with  the  boys  as  soon  as  you  are  ready?  " 

This  was  agreed  to,  and  in  a  minute  the 
young  officer  was  off  once  more,  urging  his  horse 
forward  at  the  animal's  best  speed. 

"  Now  I  can  take  my  time,"  declared  old  Ben 
son.  "  Sorry  I  aint  got  my  hunting-knife." 

"Where  is  it?" 

"  It  was  lost  in  the  shuffle  with  those  desper 
adoes  I  put  in  the  hole."  The  old  scout  chuckled. 
"  My!  my!  how  they  must  love  me  for  putting 
'em  down  there !  " 

"  They'll  have  it  in  for  you  when  they  get  out," 
remarked  Darry. 

"  Oh,  I'm  not  afraid,  lad." 

The  buffalo  had  fallen  into  something  of  a  heap, 


SOMETHING  ABOUT    WHITE   OX.  155 

and  it  took  their  combined  efforts  to  turn  the  huge 
carcass  over.  Then  old  Benson  got  out  his  clasp- 
knife,  sharpened  the  blade  upon  the  leather  of  his 
boot,  and  set  to  work,  the  boys  assisting  him  as 
much  as  possible,  which  was  not  much,  since  the 
process  was  entirely  new  to  them. 

'  That  will  be  a  load,"  said  Joe,  when  they  had 
the  skin  and  a  part  of  the  head  free.     "  How 
much  do  they  weigh,  Benson?  " 
"  Close  on  to  a  hundred  pounds." 
"  And  how  shall  we  carry  that  load?  " 
"  We'll  tie  it  up  into  something  of  a  long  bundle 
and  take  turns  at  toting  it  behind  our  saddles. 
Of  course  we  won't  be  able  to  move  along  as  fast 
as  before,  but  that  won't  be  necessary,  now  the 
captain  has  gone  ahead  to  break  the  news/' 

The  trail  now  led  toward  the  river  where  Darry 
had  almost  lost  his  life  by  being  hit  with  the  drift 
ing  tree.  The  path  was  uncertain  in  spots,  and 
they  had  to  be  careful  for  fear  of  getting  into 
some  boggy  hole. 

"What  a  splendid  place  for  a  ranch  home!" 
suggested  Darry.  "  Benson,  I  am  surprised  that 
there  are  so  few  cabins  in  this  neighborhood." 

'  There  used  to  be  quite  a  number  through 
here,  lad;  but  the  Modoc  and  other  Indians  burnt 
them  all  down.  I  suppose  new  settlers  will  come 
in,  now  the  Indians  are  behaving  themselves." 


I$6  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  But  are  they  behaving  themselves?"  ques 
tioned  Joe. 

"  They  are  doing  a  good  deal  better  than  for 
merly,  Joe.  There  is  only  one  old  chief  in  this 
neighborhood  who  seems  to  want  to  cause 
trouble." 

"And  who  is  that?" 

"  White  Ox.  He  is  some  sort  of  a  relative  to 
Sitting  Bull,  so  I've  been  told,  and  he  won't  give 
in  that  the  white  man  is  master  of  the  situation. 
He  has  tried  to  get  his  warriors  to  rise  against  us 
several  times,  but  so  far  he  hasn't  accomplished 
much." 

"  Where  is  White  Ox  now?  " 

"  Over  behind  yonder  mountain  to  the  north. 
He  is  chief  of  a  band  that  numbers  between  a  hun 
dred  and  a  hundred  and  fifty  people.  He  him 
self  is  one  of  the  best  Indian  shots  in  the  West." 

"  It's  a  pity  they  can't  become  citizens  as  well 
as  other  folks,"  remarked  Darry. 

"  That's  the  whole  trouble,  lad.  The  United 
States  didn't  treat  them  right  in  the  first  place,  and 
we  are  bound  to  suffer  in  consequence.  But  in 
the  end  the  Injun  will  be  wiped  out  completely." 

As  night  came  on,  countless  stars  shone  in  the 
sky,  making  the  trail  fairly  light.  Old  Benson 
rode  in  advance,  with  Darry  next  and  Joe  bring 
ing  up  the  rear. 


SOMETHING  ABOUT   WHITE   OX.  If,  7 

Presently  the  old  hunter  drew  rein,  and  mo 
tioned  the  others  to  do  the  same. 

"  Somebody  ahead,"  he  said  in  a  low  voice. 
"  Four  or  five  men  on  hossback.  If  I  aint  mis 
taken  they're  Injuns,  too." 

"Indians!"  exclaimed  Joe.  "Do  they  come 
this  way  often  ?  " 

"  No,  lad.  Fact  is,  they  haven't  any  right  over 
here,  so  close  to  the  fort.  It's  against  Colonel 
Fairfield's  rules." 

"  Then  what  can  they  be  doing  here?  " 

"  That's  for  us  to  find  out." 

Old  Benson  led  the  way  to  a  side  trail,  and  then 
into  the  shelter  of  a  number  of  trees. 

He  quickly  passed  the  pelt  over  to  Darry. 

"  Both  of  you  stay  here  until  I  get  back,"  he 
said.  "  I'm  going  to  find  out  what  those  red 
skins  are  up  to." 

"You  won't  be  gone  long,  will  you?"  asked 
Joe. 

"  Don't  expect  to  be  gone  over  an  hour  at  the 
most.  If  I  aint  back  in  two  hours,  make  up  your 
mind  something  has  happened.  Then  you'll  have 
to  get  back  to  the  fort  the  best  way  you  can,"  con 
cluded  the  old  scout. 

A  moment  later  the  darkness  of  the  night  hid 
him  from  their  view,  and  they  were  left  alone  in 
the  bit  of  timberland. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

A    TRICK     OF    THE    ENEMY. 

"  I  MUST  say  I  don't  fancy  this  much,"  observed 
Joe,  after  the  sounds  of  Benson's  departure  had 
lost  themselves  in  the  distance. 

"  Nor  do  I  like  it,  Joe,"  came  from  Darry,  with 
a  long-drawn  sigh.  "  But  I  guess  we'll  have  to 
make  the  best  of  it." 

"  With  what  was  on  that  message  my  brother 
found  in  the  cave,  and  what  Benson  said  about 
this  Indian  chief,  it  looks  as  if  the  folks  at  the  fort 
might  have  trouble  in  the  near  future." 

"  That's  true,  too.  I  hope  Will  got  through  in 
safety." 

Dismounting,  the  two  boys  sat  down  under  the 
trees  to  wait  in  the  darkness.  The  horses  were 
glad  enough  of  the  rest,  and  fell  to  cropping  the 
short  grass  which  showed  itself  in  spots  in  the 
vicinity. 

Thus  half  an  hour  passed.  The  silence  was  op 
pressive,  broken  only  by  the  occasional  note  of  a 
night  bird  or  the  dismal  croaking  of  a  frog  in 
some  hollow  and  the  answering  squeak  of  a  lizard. 


A    TRICK  OF   THE  ENEMY.  *59 

"  Somebody  is  coming!  "  cried  Joe  at  last,  and 
both  of  the  boys  stood  on  the  defensive,  rifles  in 
hand.  The  party  came  closer  and  closer,  and  at 
last  they  made  out  the  form  of  the  old  scout.  He 
was  riding  at  the  top  of  his  speed. 

"•Quick!  follow  me!"  he  exclaimed,  as  he 
dashed  up.  "  There  is  not  a  moment  to  lose!  " 

The  boys  needed  no  second  bidding,  and  in  a 
trice  they  were  in  the  saddle  once  more  and  riding 
after  old  Benson,  who  now  took  to-  another  trail 
leading  somewhat  to  the  south  of  that  formerly 
pursued. 

"You  saw  the  Indians?"  questioned  Joe,  as 
they  dashed  on. 

u  I  did.  White  Ox  is  ahead,  with  sixty  or 
seventy  of  his  best  warriors.  From  what  I  could 
learn  he  and  Lieutenant  Carrol  have  had  a  fight, 
and  half  a  dozen  of  the  soldiers  were  either  killed 
or  wounded.  Now  White  Ox  is  marching  for 
the  fort." 

"To  attack  it?" 

"  I  can't  say  about  that,  but  I  think  he  is  going 
to  hide  in  the  vicinity,  to  wait  for  the  coming  of 
the  desperadoes." 

"And  what  of  my  brother?"  questioned  Joe 
anxiously.  "  Did  he  get  through  all  right?  " 

"  Nothing  was  said  about  the  captain,  lad.  I 
suppose  he  got  through." 


i6o  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT, 

It  was  hard  to  talk  while  riding  at  such  a  rate 
of  speed,  and  soon  the  conversation  came  to  an 
end.  The  horses  now  showed  plain  evidence  of 
their  long  journey,  but  each  rider  kept  his  steed  at 
his  best. 

It  was  after  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  when 
the  fort  came  into  view,  dark  and  silent  in  the 
midst  of  the  plain  surrounding  it.  Benson  now 
rode  in  advance. 

"  Halt !  "  came  the  sudden  command,  while  the 
scout  was  still  a  hundred  yards  from  the  stockade. 
The  command  was  loud  and  clear,  but  the  speaker 
was  invisible. 

"  It's  all  right,  friend,"  answered  the  old  scout. 
"  It's  me,  Sam  Benson.  Let  me  in,  quick,  I've 
news  for  the  colonel." 

"  All  right,  Benson,"  was  the  answer.  "  But 
who  is  that  behind  you  ?  " 

"  Joe  Moore  and  Darry  Germain.  Is  the  colo 
nel  sleeping?  " 

"  The  colonel  is  very  sick." 

"Sick?" 

"  Yes." 

"What's  the  trouble?" 

"  The  surgeon  can't  make  out  exactly.  He's  in 
a  sort  of  stupor,  and  they  can't  rouse  him." 

By  this  time  the  stockade  gate  was  open,  and  all 
three  of  our  friends  lost  no  time  in  entering  the 


A    TRICK  OF   THE  ENEMY.  161 

yard.  Then  the  gate  was  closed  and  barred 
again. 

"  Has  Captain  Moore  returned?  "  asked  Joe,  as 
soon  as  he  could  get  the  guard's  attention. 

"  I  haven't  seen  him." 

"  How  long  have  you  been  on  duty?  " 

"  Came  on  about  an  hour  ago." 

"  Has  Lieutenant  Carrol  come  in?  "  came  from 
Benson. 

"  Not  that  I  know  of;  reckon  not,"  answered 
the  guard. 

"  Worse  and  worse !  "  groaned  the  old  scout. 
"  Who  is  in  command  here?  " 

"  Captain  Lee.     But  he's  about  half  sick,  too." 

"  It's  a  trick  of  the  enemy!  "  cried  Darry. 

"  A  trick?  "  queried  the  guard  with  interest. 

"  Yes,  a  trick,"  put  in  Joe.  "  Benson,  hadn't 
they  better  sound  the  alarm?  " 

"  Yes.  and  I'll  interview  Captain  Lee." 

No  more  was  said,  and,  while  the  sentinel  called 
the  corporal  of  the  guard,  the  old  scout  hurried 
off  to  find  the  captain  in  command.  With  him 
went  Joe  and  Darry.  Joe's  heart  was  like  a  lump 
of  lead,  for  he  was  much  concerned  over  the  non- 
appearance  of  his  brother.  Had  the  captain  met 
the  Indians  and  been  killed  or  taken  prisoner? 

Captain  Lee  was  in  a  sound  sleep,  but  quickly 
roused  up  when  told  that  an  important  message 


1^2  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

awaited  him.  He  met  the  party  in  one  of  the 
living  rooms  of  the  fort.  His  head  was  tied  up  in 
a  wet  towel,  and  his  eyes  showed  that  he  was  suf 
fering. 

'  This  is  certainly  a  deep-laid  plot,"  he  said, 
when  all  had  told  their  story.  "  The  desperadoes 
and  Indians  intend  to  combine  in  an  attack  on  the 
fort.  Mose  is  undoubtedly  that  wily  old  half- 
breed  who  is  still  alive  and  who  is  very  thick  with 
White  Ox.  But  I  didn't  know  he  could  write." 

"But  what  about  this  money  at  the  fort?" 
asked  Joe. 

'  The  money  is  here,  in  a  chest  that  is  hidden 
away.  It  amounts  to  forty  thousand  dollars  in 
gold,  and  is  the  property  of  the  Nevell  Mining 
Company.  It  was  left  for  safe-keeping  untiil  Mr. 
Nevell  could  have  it  transported  to  Denver.  You 
see,  Nevell  is  a  brother-in  law  to  Colonel  Fair- 
field." 

'  The  colonel  must  be  drugged,"  said  Benson. 
'  That's  the  reason  he  acts  so  queerly." 

"  I  suppose  so,  and  that  is  what  has  affected  me, 
I  presume,"  answered  Captain  Lee.  "  Last  night 
my  head  ached  as  if  it  would  split  open.  We 
must  tell  the  surgeon  of  this.  Perhaps  he  can 
then  do  something  to  relieve  Colonel  Fairfield." 

The  captain  lost  no  time  in  issuing  the  necessary 
orders,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  whole  place  was 


A    TRICK  OF   THE  ENEMY.  163 

in  alarm  and  the  soldiers  were  on  the  watch  for 
ihe  first  appearance  of  the  Indians. 

"  My  poor  husband  drugged!"  cried  Mrs. 
Fairfield,  when  she  heard  the  news.  "  What  vil 
lains  those  Indians  and  desperadoes  are!  Doc 
tor,  can  you  do  nothing?  " 

"  I  think  I  can,  madam,"  answered  the  surgeon. 
"  Much  depends  upon  what  drugs  were  admin 
istered  and  how  much  the  colonel  has  taken. 
Rest  assured  I  will  do  my  best  for  him." 

Upon  examination  it  was  found  that  out  of  all 
the  officers  at  the  fort  only  four  were  fit  for  duty, 
all  the  others  being  sick,  either  through  being 
drugged  or  otherwise.  Of  the  privates  not  more 
than  sixty-five  were  in  a  condition  to  fight  should 
an  attack  come. 

"  And  the  worst  of  it  is,  the  men  won't  know 
what  to  eat  or  drink  after  this,"  said  Captain  Lee 
to  Benson.  "  Who  can  tell  what  has  been 
drugged  ?  Perhaps  it's  in  the  very  bread  we  eat 
and  the  water  we  drink." 

Strict  orders  were  given  to  the  men  to  touch 
nothing  until  the  surgeon  had  passed  upon  it. 
Then  the  doctor  got  out  his  medicines  to  counter 
act  the  drugs,  and  set  to  work  to  bring  the  colonel 
and  the  other  sufferers  out  of  their  stupor. 

Hour  after  hour  went  slowly  by,  and  still  Cap 
tain  Moore  did  not  return.  What  had  become  of 


164  BOYS   OF   THE  FORT. 

his  brother,  Joe  could  not  imagine.  He  feared  the 
worst,  and  when  morning  came  it  was  all  he  could 
do  to  keep  back  the  tears. 

"  Don't  take  it  so  to  heart,  Joe/'  said  Darry 
sympathetically.  "  It  may  be  all  right." 

"  But  he  said  he  was  going  to  ride  straight 
here — you  heard  him,  Darry." 

"  So  I  did,  but  he  may  have  seen  the  Indians  or 
met  Lieutenant  Carrol,  and  that  might  have 
changed  his  plans.  Anyway,  I  wouldn't  worry 
too  much  just  yet." 

With  the  coming  of  daylight  Captain  Lee 
brought  out  his  long-distance  glass  and  swept  the 
surroundings  of  the  fort  with  extreme  care. 

"  Some  camp-fires  are  burning  to  the  north 
ward,"  he  announced. 

"Any  Injuns?  "  questioned  old  Benson  lacon 
ically.  He  had  been  told  to  come  along  to  the 
top  of  the  fort  for  consultation. 

"  Nobody  in  sight,  Benson." 

"  Humph !  Well,  I  don't  calculate  they  are  far 
off." 

"  Nor  I,  from  what  you  and  the  boys  told  me. 
How  long  will  it  take  those  desperadoes  to  reach 
here?" 

"  They  ought  to  arrive  this  morning,  if  they 
are  not  with  the  Injuns  already." 

"  All  told,  we  have  about  seventy  officers  and 


A    TRICK  OF   THE  ENEMY,  165 

men  available  for  duty,"  went  oh  the  captain 
thoughtfully.  "  What  is  worse,  they  must  know 
how  greatly  our  garrison  is  reduced,  since  they 
have  had  that  skunk  of  a  Mose  do  the  drugging 
for  them." 

"  The  Injuns  number  over  sixty,  and  if  there 
are  thirty  desperadoes,  that  will  give  them  a  force 
of  almost  a  hundred,  or  twice  as  many  as  we  have, 
captain.  But  then,  we  hold  the  fort.  They  can't 
come  anywhere  near  us  without  being  cut  down — 
if  we  set  out  to  do  it." 

"  Of  course.  But  White  Ox  may  send  off  for 
more  Indians — when  he  hears  how  small  the 
available  garrison  is." 

"  Does  he  know  much  of  affairs  here?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  he  does.  There  were  two  Indians 
here  yesterday,  to  lodge  a  complaint  against  a 
miner  who  had  stolen  a  horse  from  them.  I 
think,  now,  that  the  complaint  was  a  blind,  and 
the  Indians  were  here  merely  to  size  up  the  situa 
tion,"  concluded  Captain  Lee. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

IN  THE  HANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY. 

LITTLE  dreaming  of  all  the  adventures  in  store 
for  him,  Captain  Moore  left  the  scene  of  the 
buffalo  shooting  and  rode  forth  swiftly  in  the 
direction  of  Fort  Carson. 

He  felt  that  he  carried  news  of  great  impor 
tance  and  the  sooner  he  gained  the  fort  the  better. 
Should  anything  happen  to  Colonel  Fairfield  the 
command  of  the  post  would  fall  upon  himself,  as 
next  in  rank. 

As  he  dashed  along  the  trail,  over  hill  and  val 
ley,  he  reviewed  the  situation  with  care,  and  the 
more  he  thought  of  it,  the  more  worried  did  he 
become. 

"  Something  is  going  to  happen — I  can  feel  it 
in  the  air,"  he  muttered. 

The  thought  had  scarcely  crossed  his  mind 
when  something  did  happen,  but  not  exactly  what 
he  anticipated. 

A  shadow  fell  across  his  path,  and  as  he  drew 
rein  he  found  himself  confronted  by  several  In 
dians. 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF   THE  ENEMY.         167 

"  White  officer,  stop!  "  cried  the  leader  of  the 
red  men  sternly. 

"Hullo!  what  do  you  want?"  demanded  the 
captain.  The  meeting  was  a  complete  surprise. 

"  Want  to  have  a  talk." 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  Me  Red  Wolf,  belong  to  White  Ox  tribe,"  re 
turned  the  Indian  with  a  scowl. 

"  And  what  are  you  doing  out  here  at  this  time 
of  night,  Red  Wolf?" 

"  Indians  on  a  big  hunt.  See  buffalo  yester 
day." 

"  Yes,  I  saw  one  of  the  buffaloes  myself." 
Captain  Moore  paused,  not  knowing  how  to  go 
on.  "  You  are  pretty  close  to  the  fort." 

"  Red  Wolf  and  warriors  get  on  the  wrong 
trail,"  was  the  slow  reply.  "  But  want  to  talk 
now.  Come  along." 

As  the  Indian  concluded  he  caught  the  captain's 
steed  by  the  bridle. 

"  Let  go  the  horse." 

"  Want  to  talk  to  white  officer." 

"  You  haven't  any  right  to  touch  my  horse." 

Hardly  had  the  words  been  spoken  when 
two  Indians  rushed  up  behind  the  captain  and 
dragged  him  to  the  ground. 

The  fellows  were  large  and  powerful,  and  they 
disarmed  him  before  he  could  even  fire  a  shot. 


1 68  BOYS   OF   THE   FORT. 

Without  further  ado  Captain  Moore  was  forced 
to  march  along,  between  two  of  the  red  men, 
while  a  third  led  his  horse. 

A  route  around  the  rocks  was  taken,  and  pres 
ently  they  came  to  a  dense  bit  of  timberland.  In 
the  midst  of  this  was  a  clearing,  and  here  was  the 
camp  of  some  ten  or  a  dozen  Indians. 

The  Indians  at  hand  were  a  guard  over  several 
white  soldiers,  and  to  his  intense  surprise  the 
young  captain  recognized  some  of  Lieutenant  Car 
rol's  men. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here?  "  he  asked. 

"  Had  a  mix-up  and  came  off  second  best " 

began  one  of  the  soldiers,  when  an  Indian  guard 
clapped  a  dirty  hand  over  his  mouth  and  ordered 
him  to  be  silent,  under  penalty  of  death. 

Then  the  captain  was  taken  to  another  part  of 
the  glade,  and  here  he  was  made  a  close  prisoner 
by  being  bound,  hands  and  feet,  to  the  trunk  of  a 
blasted  tree. 

Red  Wolf  wished  to  know  what  the  captain  had 
been  doing  away  from  the  fort. 

"  I've  been  on  a  hunting  expedition." 

"Alone?" 

"  No." 

"Where  are  the  others?" 

"  Safe,  by  this  time.  What  do  you  intend  to 
do  with  me,  Red  Wolf?" 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF   THE   ENEMY.          169 

"  White  Ox  shall  decide  that,"  grunted  the  red 
man. 

"  Then  he  is  on  this  hunt,  too?  " 

"  He  is/' 

"When  wiU  he  be  here?" 

"  Soon." 

"  Don't  you  know  that  I  am  an  army  officer, 
and  that  you  are  laying  up  a  good  deal  of  trouble 
for  yourself  by  making  me  a  prisoner?  " 

"  The  white  man  has  not  treated  the  Indians 
right." 

"  This  is  no  way  to  redress  wrongs,  Red  Wolf. 
Why  don't  you  go  to  Colonel  Fairfield  and 
make  a  complaint  ?  He  will  send  the  story  to  the 
Great  Father  at  Washington." 

"  The  Great  Father  will  not  listen.  We  have 
sent  many  complaints — as  the  white  captain 
knows." 

"  He  will  listen — if  the  complaint  is  a  just  one. 
The  trouble  is,  the  Indians  will  not  obey  Colonel 
Fairfield' s  orders." 

"  And  why  should  they  obey  the  white  man? 
Is  not  White  Ox  their  chief?  " 

'  That  is  true.  But  the  land  is  now  the  white 
man's,  and  the  Indians  must  obey  the  Great 
Father  at  Washington,  or  in  the  end  it  will  go 
hard  with  them." 

"  Not  so !  "  cried  Red  Wolf  savagely.     "  In  tte 


170  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

end  the  white  man  will  be  driven  eastward,  where 
he  belongs.  No  one  shall  rule  in  these  mountains 
but  the  red  man.  White  Ox  and  the  other  great 
chiefs  have  spoken." 

"  What!  you  are  going  on  the  warpath?  " 

"  The  hatchet  may  be  dug  up,  if  the  white  man 
will  not  listen  to  the  red  man." 

"  I  know  what  the  trouble  is,  Red  Wolf.  Matt 
Gilroy  and  that  scoundrelly  half-breed,  Mose, 
have  set  you  up  to  this.  They  have  filled  your 
ears  with  false  stories  about  our  cruelty  and  about 
much  money  at  the  fort." 

By  the  look  on  the  Indian's  face  the  young 
officer  saw  that  he  had  struck  the  truth,  at  least  in 
part. 

But  the  red  man  would  talk  no  more,  fearing 
he  had  already  said  too  much,  and  he  stalked  off, 
warning  a  guard  to  be  careful  and  not  let  the  cap 
tain  escape. 

When  left  to  himself,  Captain  Moore's  reflec 
tions  were  very  bitter. 

"  If  the  redskins  are  out  in  force  they'll  prob 
ably  fall  in  with  Benson  and  the  boys,"  he  told 
himself.  "  And  if  they  do  there  will  surely  be 
trouble.  Benson  won't  allow  them  to  take  him 
alive,  and  that  will  mean  a  good  deal  of  shooting 
all  around." 

He  listened  attentively  for  shots  in  the  distance, 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF   THE  ENEMY.         171 

but  none  came,  and  this  caused  him  to  be  more 
perplexed  than  ever. 

Just  before  daybreak  several  additional  Indians 
came  in,  and  the  young  officer  and  the  soldiers 
were  told  to  march.  Their  feet  were  unfastened, 
but  their  hands  were  not,  and  they  were  forced  to 
move  with  the  red  men  on  ail  sides  of  them,  and 
each  of  the  enemy  fully  armed  and  ready  to  shoot 
them  down  at  the  first  show  of  resistance  or 
escape. 

From  one  of  the  privates  Captain  Moore 
learned  that  Lieutenant  Carrol  and  the  other  sol 
diers  had  escaped,  but  what  had  become  of  them 
nobody  knewr. 

The  little  body  of  whites  and  Indians  marched 
over  a  mountain  trail  for  fully  four  hours.  The 
step  was  a  lively  one,  and  when  the  party  came  to 
a  halt  even  the  soldiers  used  to  a  hard  march  were 
tired  out. 

'  Those  redskins  can  walk  the  legs  off  of  any 
thing  I  know  of,"  was  the  way  one  old  soldier  ex 
pressed  himself.  "  They  are  like  some  of  these 
wiry  mustangs  who  don't  know  the  meaning  of 
rest." 

"  This  region  is  strange  to  me,  Peck.  Do  you 
recognize  it?  " 

"  I  do,  Captain  Moore.  Yonder  is  Henebeck 
Fall,  and  this  trail  leads  to  Silver  Gulch." 


172  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Then  we  are  about  six  miles  from  nowhere  in 
particular." 

'  You've  struck  it,  captain.  Why  they  brought 
us  to  such  a  forsaken  spot  is  more  than  I  can  guess 
— unless  they  are  going  to  shoot  us  down  like  dogs 
and  leave  us  for  the  wolves  to  feed  on.  The 
wolves  are  thick  around  here,  so  Leeson  told 
me." 

"  I  don't  believe  they'll  shoot  us  down.  They 
are  not  desperate  enough  yet.  But  they  may  do 
it,  if  they  attack  the  fort  and  lose  heavily.  That 
will  open  their  eyes,  and  make  them  as  mad  as 
hornets." 

A  little  later  Silver  Gulch,  a  wide  opening  in 
the  rocks  of  the  mountain,  was  gained,  and  here 
the  soldiers  were  again  made  fast  to  several  trees. 
Then  the  Indians  prepared  their  midday  meal. 
They  took  their  time  about  eating,  and  did  not 
offer  the  white  men  anything  until  they  had 
finished. 

"  They  don't  intend  to  treat  us  any  too  good," 
was  Peck's  comment.  "  Captain,  can't  we  fix  it 
to  get  away?  " 

"  I  intend  to  escape  if  I  can  manage  it,"  re 
turned  the  young  officer.  "  But  we  must  be  care 
ful,  for  they  are  fully  armed,  and  they  watch  us 
like  so  many  foxes." 

Slowly  the  afternoon  wore  away,  and  with  the 


IN   THE  HANDS  OF   THE  ENEMY.         i?3 

coming"  of  night  it  grew  darker  than  usual,  as 
though  a  storm  was  brewing. 

"  A  storm  ought  to  help  us,"  said  the  captain. 

Some  of  the  Indians  had  departed,  so  that  now 
the  guard  consisted  of  but  four  warriors.  These 
red  men  walked  around  each  prisoner,  seeing  to  it 
that  all  the  bonds  were  tight. 

As  the  men  passed  Peck  the  old  soldier  watched 
his  chance,  and,  unknown  to  the  red  men,  caught 
a  hunting-knife  from  the  belt  of  one  of  the 
number. 

This  knife  was  concealed  up  his  sleeve,  and  then 
the  soldier  waited  for  his  chance  to  use  the  blade, 
which  was  as  sharp  as  a  razor. 

The  Indians  decided  that  two  of  their  number 
should  sleep,  while  the  other  two  remained  on 
guard.  Soon  those  to  retire  turned  in,  while  the 
others  sat  down  to  smoke  their  pipes. 

This  was  Peck's  opportunity,  and  with  a  slash 
of  the  hunting-knife  he  released  his  hands.  A 
moment  later  the  lariat  around  his  ankles  was  like 
wise  severed. 

Watching  his  chance,  Peck  passed  the  knife  to 
Captain  Moore,  and  then  went  back  to  his  position 
by  the  tree  as  if  still  fastened. 

Thus  the  knife  was  passed  from  soldier  to  sol 
dier  until  all  were  liberated. 

All  told,  the  party  numbered  six,  and  nobody 


174  J30YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

was  armed,  excepting  Peck,  to  whom  the  hunting- 
knife  had  been  returned. 

Motioning  to  the  others  to  keep  quiet,  Captain 
Moore  picked  up  a  stick  of  wood  lying  near  and 
threw  it  in  some  bushes  a  distance  away. 

This  made  considerable  noise,  and  instantly  the 
two  guards  gazed  in  the  direction. 

"  A  wolf,  perhaps,"  said  one  of  the  Indians,  in 
his  native  tongue,  and  walked  over  to>  the  bushes. 
His  companion  started  to  follow,  when  Captain 
Moore  leaped  upon  him  and  bore  him  to  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

A    PANTHER    IN     CAMP. 

As  Captain  Moore  fell  upon  one  of  the  Indians, 
Peck  the  private  stole  after  the  guard  who  had 
walked  toward  the  bushes.  The  other  soldiers 
jumped  to  where  the  remaining-  Indians  were 
sleeping,  to  gain  possession  of  the  firearms. 

The  Indian  the  captain  had  tackled  was  a  young 
but  powerful  brave,  and  he  put  up  a  hard  fight  to 
release  himself.  But  he  had  been  taken  unawares, 
and  after  he  was  on  the  ground  the  captain  saw  to 
it  that  he  did  not  get  up. 

In  the  meantime  the  Indian  near  the  bushes 
turned  just  in  time  to  see  Peck  raise  the  hunting- 
knife.  Crack!  went  the  red  man's  rifle,  and  the 
bullet  clipped  the  soldier's  ear.  The  shot  was  so 
close  that  to  the  day  of  his  death  Peck  carried  in 
his  face  some  traces  of  the  burnt  powder. 

The  shot  was  the  last  the  Indian  ever  fired,  for 
in  the  midst  of  the  smoke  Peck  hurled  himself  at 
the  warrior,  and  a  second  later  down  came  the 
hunting-knife,  piercing  the  red  man's  back  and 
entering  his  right  lung.  The  stroke  was  a  fatal 

«7S 


1 76  £OYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

one,  and  before  the  fighting  in  the  glade  came  to 
an  end  the  Indian  had  breathed  his  last. 

When  the  sleeping  Indians  awoke  they  could 
not  for  the  moment  realize  what  was  going  on. 
In  his  bewilderment  one  leaped  up  and  rushed  at 
a  soldier,  who  promptly  laid  him  low  by  a  heavy 
blow  from  a  rifle  stock,  which  almost  cracked  the 
warrior's  skull.  Seeing  this,  the  other  brave  be 
came  frightened  and  ran  for  the  bushes. 

"  Don't  let  him  escape!  "  cried  Captain  Moore, 
who  was  still  holding  his  man  down. 

At  once  two  of  the  soldiers  ran  after  the  fleeing 
Indian,  and  presently  two  rifle  shots  rang  out,  fol 
lowed  by  a  scream  from  the  red  man. 

"  He's  done  for,"  said  one  of  the  soldiers,  after 
the  smoke  had  cleared  away.  "  He  has  gone  to 
his  happy  hunting-ground." 

After  this  turn  of  affairs  it  did  not  take  the  sol 
diers  long  to  make  prisoners  of  the  two  Indians 
who  remained  alive.  These  fellows  were  in  truth 
much  frightened,  but  tried  their  best  to  suppress 
their  feelings. 

From  one  of  the  Indians,  Captain  Moore 
learned  that  more  Indians  were  expected  early 
the  next  morning. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  he.  "  They  will  come 
in  time  to  release  you  and  save  you  from  starva 
tion." 


A   PANTHER  IN  CAMP.  177 

"  Going  to  tie  'em  up,  captain?  "  asked  Peck. 

"  Yes.     There  is  nothing  else  to  do." 

"  Better  shoot  'em." 

"  I  can't  shoot  them  in  cold  blood,  Peck.  That 
would  not  be  human." 

"  The  wretches  don't  deserve  to  live,  captain. 
The  Indians  and  those  desperadoes  are  plotting 
to  wipe  out  everybody  left  at  the  fort." 

"  I  know  that.  Still,  I  cannot  bring  myself  to 
take  their  lives — and  we  can't  stop  to  take  them 
along  as  prisoners.  The  sooner  we  get  back  to 
the  fort  the  better." 

"  If  we  can  get  back,"  put  in  another  soldier. 

"  I  don't  believe  the  fort  is  surrounded  just 
yet,"  returned  the  young  officer. 

"But  if  it  is?" 

"  Then,  perhaps,  it  will  be  better  for  us  to  be 
out  than  in." 

"  You  wouldn't  desert  the  crowd  at  the  fort, 
would  you?  " 

"  You  know  me  better  than  that,  Gorman.  We 
might  be  able  to  ride  to  the  next  fort  and  obtain 
re-enforcements." 

"  That's  so,  captain !     I  didn't  think  of  that." 

Leaving  the  dead  Indians  in  the  bushes  and  the 
others  tied  to  the  trees,  the  captain  and  his  com 
panions  now  lost  no  time  in  striking  out  for  the 
fort. 


178  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

Fortunately,  Peck  was  well  acquainted  with 
every  foot  of  the  territory  to  be  covered,  and  he 
led  the  way  by  a  route  which  was  fairly  easy  and 
as  direct  as  could  be  expected,  considering  the 
wild  region  to  be  covered. 

As  he  hurried  along,  the  young  captain's 
thoughts  were  busy.  Where  were  Joe,  Darry, 
and  Benson,  and  how  were  things  going  at  the 
fort? 

"  The  Indians  are  not  so>  much  to  be  blamed  as 
the  desperadoes,"  he  said.  "  They  have  some 
wrongs,  although  they  are  more  fancied  than  real. 
But  the  desperadoes  ought  all  to  be  either  shot 
down  or  placed  under  arrest." 

"  Right  you  are,"  returned  Gorman.  '  This 
district  will  never  prosper  until  the  desperadoes 
are  cleaned  out." 

It  was  not  long  before  the  party  began  to  grow 
hungry,  and  they  had  to  halt  for  an  hour,  to  pre 
pare  some  birds  which  one  of  the  number  had 
brought  down  with  a  gun. 

All  the  time  they  were  eating,  one  of  the  sol 
diers  remained  on  guard,  for  they  were  fearful  a 
band  of  Indians  might  come  up  unawares  to  sur 
prise  them.  But  not  a  red  man  or  desperado 
showed  himself. 

Nightfall  found  them  still  sixteen  miles  from 
the  fort,  and  unable  to  walk  further. 


A   PANTHER  IN  CAMP.  179 

"  We  will  camp  out  where  we  are,"  said  Cap 
tain  Moore.  "It  is  useless  to  think  of  covering 
the  distance  in  the  dark.  Besides,  we  might  fall 
into  some  trap." 

A  storm  had  been  threatening,  but  now  the 
clouds  passed  and  the  night  proved  clear  and 
pleasant.  It  was  decided  that  two  men  should 
remain  on  guard  at  a  time,  each  taking  a  turn  of 
three  hours. 

The  young  captain  slept  from  nine  o'clock  until 
three  in  the  morning.  Then  he  awoke  with  the 
feeling  that  further  sleep  was  out  of  the  question. 
Getting  up,  he  walked  to  a  nearby  brook,  intend 
ing  to  wash  up  and  obtain  a  needed  drink. 

While  Captain  Moore  was  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
brook  something  stirring  in  the  bushes  attracted 
his  attention. 

"  Carwell,  did  you  see  that?  "  he  asked,  of  the 
guard  who  was  nearest  to  him. 

"  See  what,  captain?" 

"  That  thing  in  yonder  bushes." 

"  I  see  nothing,  sir." 

"  Something  is  moving  there.  Come  here  and 
look." 

The  private  did  as  commanded,  and  both  gazed 
steadily  into  the  bushes. 

"  By  Jove!"  exclaimed  the  young  officer  at 
length,  "  Do  you  see  what  it  is  now,  Carwell  ?  " 


i8o  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  I  do  not,  captain." 

"It's   a   panther,   unless   I   am   greatly   mis 
taken." 

"Where?" 

"  Lying  on  the  fallen  tree,  behind  that  tall 
bush,"  and  Captain  Moore  pointed  with  his  hand. 

As  he  did  this  the  panther  arose  suddenly,  then 
crouched  down  as  if  to  make  a  leap  at  them. 

"  Shoot!  "  ordered  the  captain,  and  as  quickly 
as  the  private  could  raise  his  rifle  he  fired.  But 
his  aim  was  poor,  and  the  bullet  flew  a  foot  over 
the  panther's  head. 

"  Missed,  hang  the  luck!  "  muttered  Carwell. 

Scarcely  had  the  words  left  his  lips,  when  the 
panther  made  a  fierce  leap  and  landed  directly  at 
the  feet  of  the  astonished  pair.  The  beast  was 
evidently  very  hungry,  or  it  would  not  have  at 
tacked  human  beings  in  this  semi-light  of  the  early 

dawn. 

Full  of  fear,  Carwell  staggered  back,  with  his 
smoking  rifle  still  in  his  hand. 

The  panther  growled  and  switched  its  tail  from 
side  to  side.  The  rifle  shot  had  filled  it  with  won 
der,  and  it  did  not  know  what  to  do  next. 

"  Be  careful — he  is  going  to  take  another 
leap !  "  cried  the  young  captain. 

He  was  right;  the  panther  was  now  preparing 
for  another  spring.  Before  Carwell  could  get 


A   PANTHER  IN  CAMP.  l8l 

out  of  the  way,  the  beast  came  on,  pinning  the 
private  to  the  earth. 

As  Carwell  went  down  the  whole  camp  roused 
up,  and  the  second  guard  came  up  on  the  double 
quick. 

"  What's  up,  captain?  "  he  sang  out. 

"  Shoot  the  panther !  "  answered  the  young 
officer.  "  Quick,  or  you'll  be  too  late.  Don't  hit 
Carwell." 

Crack !  the  rifle  spoke  up,  and  the  beast  was  hit 
fairly  and  squarely  in  the  side.  At  this  it  let  out 
a  blood-curdling  scream  of  pain.  It  had  caught 
Carwell  by  the  arm,  but  now  it  released  its  hold. 

"  A  painter!  "  roared  one  of  the  old  soldiers. 
"  And  a  big  one.  Git  your  guns,  boys !  He  aint 
no  beast  to  fool  with,  I  can  tell  you  that !  " 

Those  who  had  guns  ran  for  them.  But  in  the 
meantime  the  panther  turned  around,  as  if  to  re 
treat. 

Then,  of  a  sudden,  it  seemed  to  catch  sight  of 
Captain  Moore,  and  with  a  snarl  of  rage  it  threw 
itself  upon  the  young  officer,  and  both  went  over 
with  a  loud  splash  into  the  brook. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

THE    SKIRMISH    IN    THE    BRUSH. 

UP  to  the  time  the  panther  had  turned  upon 
him,  the  young  officer  had  thought  but  little  of  his 
own  safety,  being  concerned  chiefly  about  Car- 
well,  who  was  flat  on  his  back,  and  who  looked  as 
if  he  as  going  to  be  chewed  up  by  this  wild,  lean, 
and  hungry  beast  of  the  forest. 

But  now  Captain  Moore  found  himself  at 
tacked,  and  as  he  went  over  into  the  brook  he 
realized  that  he  was  in  the  most  perilous  position 
he  had  yet  encountered.  Facing  Indians  and  des 
peradoes  was  nothing  compared  to  facing  this 
beast,  that  seemed  bent  upon  his  destruction. 

The  spot  where  the  young  officer  struck  the 
brook  was  five  or  six  feet  deep,  and  as  the  panther 
came  down  on  top  of  him  he  went  straight  to  the 
bottom. 

The  beast  was  also  submerged,  but  not  for  long. 
Panthers,  although  they  can  swim,  do  not  like  the 
water,  and  this  one  lost  no  time  in  coming  to  the 
surface  to  get  air.  Then  it  let  out  another  scream 

182 


THE   SKIRMISH  IN  THE  BRUSH.  183 

of  pain,  while  the  bullet  wound  in  its  side  dyed 
the  brook  red. 

As  the  panther  came  up  the  young  captain  tried 
to  do  the  same.  But  the  first  thing  he  encoun 
tered  was  the  beast's  fierce  claws,  and  he  received 
a  deep  and  painful  scratch  in  his  left  shoulder. 
Then  he  went  down  again,  and  tried  to  come  up 
further  down  the  stream.  But  unfortunately  the 
panther  moved  in  the  same  direction. 

In  the  meantime  the  other  soldiers  came  up  to 
the  edge  of  the  brook.  They  realized  their  cap 
tain's  peril,  and  as  soon  as  the  panther  showed 
itself  two  of  them  blazed  away,  one  hitting  the 
beast  in  the  back  and  the  other  landing  a  bullet  in 
the  panther's  neck. 

The  fury  of  the  animal  was  now  intense,  and 
whirling  around  it  lashed  the  water  of  the  brook 
into  a  perfect  foam.  Then  it  leaped  for  the  oppo 
site  shore,  and  made  a  break  for  the  underbrush. 
Before  anybody  could  fire  again  it  was  gone. 

When  Captain  Moore  regained  the  surface  of 
the  brook  willing  hands  helped  him  out. 

"  Hurt?  "  questioned  Peck  anxiously. 

"  A  little— on  the  shoulder,"  was  the  answer, 
with  a  gasp.  "  Where  is  the  beast?  " 

"  Got  away  in  yonder  bushes,  sir.  That's  a 
nasty  dig.  You  had  better  let  me  bind  it  up." 

"  Carwell,  how  are  you?  " 


184  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

1  The  beast  nipped  me  in  the  arm,"  answered 
the  private,  trying  to  suppress  a  groan.  "  By- 
George,  but  he  was  an  ugly  one !  " 

"  That's  right,"  put  in  another  soldier.  "  You 
can  be  thankful  you  wasn't  chewed  up." 

A  brief  search  revealed  the  fact  that  the  panther 
had  left  the  vicinity,  and  then  the  others  set  to 
work  to  bind  up  the  wounds  the  captain  and  Car- 
well  had  sustained. 

"  We  had  better  move  on  now,"  said  the  young 
officer,  when  the  hurts  had  been  attended  to.  "If 
there  are  Indians  or  desperadoes  around  they  must 
certainly  have  heard  those  shots,  and  they  will  be 
wondering  what  they  mean." 

They  marched  on  in  the  gloom,  and  did  not  halt 
until  the  sun  was  showing  itself  over  the  hills  to 
the  eastward.  They  had  now  gained  a  rise  of 
ground  from  which  with  a  field-glass  the  fort 
might  have  been  seen.  But  the  young  captain's 
glass  was  gone — confiscated,  as  already  told,  by 
those  who  had  first  attacked  him. 

"  We  will  draw  closer  with  caution,"  said  the 
young  officer.  "  We  don't  want  to  walk  into  any 
trap." 

Less  than  a  mile  was  covered,  when  Peck,  who 
had  been  sent  out  in  advance,  came  back  and  called 
for  silence. 

"  Some  Indians  are  ahead,"  he  said. 


THE   SKIRMISH  IN   THE  BRUSH.  185 

"How  many  of  them?"  questioned  Captain 
Moore. 

"  Not  less  than  a  dozen  or  fifteen,  captain.  I 
counted  eleven,  and  heard  some  talking  that  I 
couldn't  see." 

"Where  are  they?" 

"  Down  behind  where  the  brook  flows  over 
those  sawtooth  rocks.  We  were  out  there  fishing 
last  summer." 

"  I  know  the  spot  you  mean.  What  are  the 
redskins  doing?  " 

"  Nothing  in  particular.  I  overheard  one  say 
to  another  that  he  expected  White  Ox  along  be 
fore  sundown." 

'  They  must  be  an  advance  guard  of  the  tribe, 
then,"  returned  the  young  officer  thoughtfully. 
"  Did  any  of  them  see  you?  " 

"  I  don't  think  they  did." 

But  in  this  Peck  was  mistaken,  for  scarcely  had 
the  soldiers  started  to  walk  around  the  spot  where 
the  Indians  were  encamped,  when  a  savage  war- 
whoop  rang  out,  followed  by  half  a  dozen  shots. 

The  first  round  was  a  deadly  one,  killing  two  of 
the  men  and  wounding  Peck  in  the  side.  A  bullet 
likewise  grazed  Captain  Moore's  shoulder. 

'  To  cover !  "  shouted  the  young  officer,  as  soon 
as  he  could  speak.  "  The  Indians  are  on  us !  " 

He  had  a  gun  in  his  hand,  and  as  he  gave  the 


1 86  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

command  he  leveled  it  at  the  leader  of  the  party, 
he  who  had  killed  one  of  the  soldiers.  Captain 
Moore's  aim  was  true,  and  the  Indian  fell  lifeless 
over  the  very  body  of  the  man  he  had  slain. 

By  this  time  the  other  Indians  were  coming  up, 
and  all  the  soldiers  could  do  was  to  take  to  the 
nearest  cover,  as  the  captain  had  ordered.  The 
warwhoops  continued,  and  shots  were  fired  from 
several  directions. 

Scarcely  knowing  whether  he  was  hit  or  not, 
Captain  Moore  dashed  into  the  midst  of  some 
brushwood,  and  not  far  away  from  him;  came 
Peck.  The  latter  had  broken  his  rifle  over  the 
head  of  one  of  the  red  men,  and  now  advanced 
with  the  hunting-knife  which  was  still  in  his  pos 
session.  The  young  captain  held  a  rifle,  but  just 
now  had  no  time  in  which  to  reload  the  weapon. 

"  They  are  after  us  hot-like!  "  cried  Peck,  after 
several  hundred  feet  had  been  covered. 

The  private's  breath  came  short  and  sharp, 
and  now  for  the  first  Captain  Moore  saw  how  he 
was  suffering. 

"  You  are  wounded,  Peck." 

"  That's  right,  captain." 

"  You  can't  run  any  more." 

"  I've  got  to  run,"  muttered  Peck,  between  his 
set  teeth.  "  They'll  be  on — oh ! — on  us  in  another 
minute." 


THE   SKIRMISH  IN  THE  BRUSH.  1 8? 

"  Give  me  your  arm — I'll  help  you  along." 
The  private  held  out  his  hand,  then  gave  a  pitch, 
and,  before  the  young  officer  could  catch  him,  sank 
on  the  grass  insensible. 

Captain  Moore's  heart  leaped  into  his  throat, 
for  he  had  known  Peck  for  years,  and  the  two 
were  very  friendly.  He  listened,  and  heard  a  dis 
tant  shot.  Evidently  the  Indians  were  not  yet 
coming  in  that  direction.  They  would  first  hunt 
down  the  others,  providing  they  were  not  already 
slain. 

Bending  down,  the  young  officer  took  Peck  in 
his  strong  arms  and  threw  the  private  over  his 
shoulder.  The  weight  was  considerable,  and 
made  him  stagger. 

"  I've  got  to  carry  him,  somehow !  "  he  mut 
tered.  "  Heaven  give  me  strength  to  do  it !  " 

The  brushwood  was  thick  ahead,  but  there  was 
a  sort  of  trail,  made  by  wild  animals,  and  he  pur 
sued  this  until  he  came  to  a  brook.  Then  to  keep 
the  Indians  from  following  them,  should  they 
come  in  that  direction,  he  followed  the  brook  for 
a  hundred  yards  or  more.  At  last  he  reached  a 
point  where  the  banks  of  the  brook  were  rocky, 
and  here  he  came  out,  and  crawled  over  the  rocks. 
Not  far  off  was  an  opening  between  two  large 
bowlders,  and  here  he  sank  down,  too  exhausted 
to  take  another  step. 


188  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

It  was  half  an  hour  before  Peck  came  to  his 
senses.  In  the  meantime  the  captain  had  ob 
tained  some  water,  washed  the  private's  wound 
and  bound  it  up  in  bandages  torn  from  his  shirt. 
The  loss  of  blood  had  made  Peck  light-headed. 

"Keep  them  off!"  he  murmured.  "Keep 
them  off !  They  want  to  bore  a  hole  in  my  side. 
Keep  them  off !" 

"  Be  quiet,  Peck,  you  are  safe,"  answered  the 
young  captain  soothingly.  "  You've  been 
wounded,  that's  the  trouble,"  but  the  private  con 
tinued  to  rave  for  some  time,  when  he  relaxed 
into  a  stupor. 

With  strained  ears  Captain  Moore  waited  for 
the  appearance  of  friends  or  enemies,  but  nobody 
came  up  the  brook.  Once  he  heard  two  shots  far 
to  the  northward,  but  whether  fired  by  the  soldiers 
or  the  Indians  he  could  not  tell. 

"  I'm  afraid  it's  been  a  regular  slaughter,"  he 
mused  sadly.  "  And  our  getting  away  was  a 
miracle,"  and  this  surmise  proved  correct,  for,  as 
was  afterward  proven,  all  the  others  of  the  party 
were  slain  within  an  hour  after  the  surprise 
occurred. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

A    LUCKY    MEETING. 

"  CAPTAIN,  where  am  I  ?  " 

"  In  the  woods  with  me,  Peck." 

"  What  has  happened?  " 

"  Don't  you  remember?  The  Indians  sur 
prised  us,  and  you  were  shot  in  the  side." 

The  brow  of  the  wounded  soldier  contracted 
for  a  moment,  and  then  he  drew  a  long  and  pain 
ful  breath. 

"  Ah,  yes,  I  remember  now,     Are  we  alone?  " 

"  Yes." 

"  And  what  of  the  others,  captain?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  they  have  either  been  shot  down 
or  taken  prisoners.  Poor  Carwell  and  Leeds  I 
know  are  dead." 

"  It  was  a  nasty  surprise,  wasn't  it  ?  I  was 
sure  they  hadn't  seen  me." 

"  Those  Indians  are  sly,  Peck.  They  never  let 
on  until  they  are  fully  ready.  We  can  be  thank 
ful  that  we  escaped." 

"  How  long  have  we  been  here?  " 

"  The  best  part  of  the  day.  I  carried  you  along 
189 


X9°  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

the  brook  and  to  here,  and  I  haven't  dared  to  go 
any  further.     Those  Indians  can't  be  far  off." 

"  It  was  good  of  you  to  do  that  for  me,  cap 
tain,"  said  the  private  gratefully. 

"  I  know  you  would  have  done  as  much  for  me, 
Peck.  What  I  am  worried  about  is  what  we  are 
to  do  next." 

"  Perhaps  you  had  better  wait  till  dark,  and 
then  sneak  to  the  fort." 

"How  do  you  feel?" 

"  Weak,  captain,  weak  as  a  rag." 

"  I  shan't  leave  you,  Peck." 

"  But  you  ought  to  try  to  save  yourself." 

'*  We  can  both  try  to  do  that,  when  you  are 
stronger." 

Slowly  the  day  wore  along  until  night  was  once 
more  on  the  pair.  Peck  had  tried  to  stand  up,  but 
the  effort  had  proved  a  dismal  failure. 

"  It's  no  use,"  he  murmured.  "  I  reckon  I'm  a 
fit  subject  for  the  hospital,"  and  he  gave  a  sickly 
grin. 

The  night  was  one  Captain  Moore  never  forgot. 
He  was  hungry,  but  there  was  nothing  at  hand 
with  which  to  satisfy  the  cravings  of  the  inner 
man.  Peck's  mind  began  to  ramble  again,  and 
once  he  struggled  violently,  thinking  he  was  fight 
ing  with  an  Indian,  who  was  trying  to  tear  out  his 
side. 


A   LUCKY  MEETING.  Ipi 

With  the  coming  of  dawn  the  young  officer  felt 
that  matters  were  growing  desperate  and  that  he 
must  do  something.  He  determined  to  go  on  a 
short  exploring  tour,  leaving  the  soldier  where  he 
lay. 

"  I'll  be  back  inside  of  half  an  hour/'  he  said. 
"  Make  yourself  as  comfortable  as  possible  while 
I  am  gone." 

"  Don't  desert  me !  "  groaned  Peck.  "  Promise 
to  come  back,  captain — promise!"  he  pleaded, 
and  the  young  officer  promised. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  brook  was  a  series 
of  rocks  leading  to  the  top  of  rather  a  high  hill, 
and  Captain  Moore  had  an  idea  that  from  this 
eminence  he  could  obtain  a  faint  view  of  the  fort 
and  its  surroundings. 

Half  of  the  rocks  were  passed  when  he  came  to 
a  sudden  halt.  A  low  groan  ahead  had  reached 
his  ears.  As  he  stopped  andjistened  the  groan 
was  repeated. 

"  That  sounds  familiar,"  he  thought.  "  I've 
heard  that  before.  But  where?  " 

At  last  he  made  up  his  mind  that  the  sounds 
came  from  some  wild  animal  that  was  wounded, 
and  plucking  up  courage  he  moved  forward  again, 
but  with  his  rifle  before  him,  ready  to  shoot  at  the 
slightest  provocation. 

"  The  panther— and  dying!  " 


192  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

The  young  officer  was  right.  There  on  a  shelf 
of  rocks  lay  the  wounded  beast,  its  breath  coming 
short  and  heavy,  and  its  eyes  letting  out  a  glassy 
stare  that  caused  the  captain  to  shiver  in  spite  of 
himself. 

At  the  sight  of  a  human  being  the  panther  tried 
to  rise.  But  the  effort  was  too  much  for  it,  and 
it  sank  down,  groaning  with  pain,  in  a  pool  of 
blood  which  had  formed. 

At  first  Captain  Moore  thought  to  finish  by  put 
ting  a  bullet  through  its  head,  but  then  he  remem 
bered  that  ammunition  was  scarce  and  lowered  his 
rifle. 

"  He'll  be  dead  by  the  time  I  get  back,"  he 
thought,  and  continued  on  his  way  up  the  moun 
tain  side. 

At  last  the  top  was  gained,  and  he  looked 
around  eagerly.  At  first  only  the  plain  far  be 
low  met  his  view,  but  presently  he  made  out  a 
spot  which  he  knew  must  be  the  fort.  But  all  was 
in  a  blue  haze,  and  no  details  could  be  distin 
guished. 

Having  spent  quarter  of  an  hour  on  the  moun 
tain  top  he  picked  his  way  back  to  where  he  had 
left  the  panther.  The  creature  had  now  breathed 
its  last,  and  lay  stiffened  out  on  the  rocky  ledge. 

"  I  must  have  something  to  eat,  and  so  must 
Peck,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  Panther  steaks  may 


A  LUCKY  MEETING.  1 93 

be  tough,  but  they  will  be  better  than  nothing-. 
I'll  go  back  for  the  hunting-knife  and  cut  off  as 
much  meat  as  we'll  be  likely  to  need  for  a  couple 
of  days." 

When  he  reached  Peck's  side  he  found  the  sol 
dier  -sleeping  quietly,  and  did  not  disturb  him. 
Going  back,  he  cut  off  a  generous  slice  of  the 
panther  meat,  leaving  the  rest  to  the  wild  beasts. 

The  captain  hated  to  build  a  fire,  fearing  it 
would  attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy,  but  he 
did  not  wish  to  eat  the  meat  raw,  and  presently, 
having  no  matches,  shot  his  gun  into  the  midst  of 
some  dry  leaves.  By  this  means  he  soon  had  a 
blaze,  which  he  fed  with  the  driest  wood  he  could 
find,  thus  avoiding  a  great  cloud  of  smoke.  Over 
the  blaze  he  cooked  the  steak,  which  was  soon 
done  to  a  turn. 

When  Peck  awoke  he  felt  stronger,  and  readily 
partook  of  the  meal  brought  to  him,  washing 
down  the  meat  with  some  water  from  the  brook. 

"  What  do  you  calculate  to  do  now,  captain  ?  " 
he  asked. 

"  From  the  top  of  yonder  hill  I  can  see  the  fort 
in  the  distance,"  answered  the  young  officer. 
"  But  how  to  get  to  it  is  a  question.  It  would  be 
a  hard  enough  journey  as  it  is,  without  having  to 
be  on  guard  against  Indians  and  desperadoes." 

"  Better  leave  me  here,  and  go  it  alone." 


194  BO  YS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"  No,  I  shan't  desert  you,  Peck.  We'll  see  the 
thing  through  together." 

"  But  the  Indians  might  come  down  on  us." 

"  We've  got  to  run  that  risk.  The  question  is, 
can  you  walk  at  all  ?  " 

For  reply  Peck  got  up  on  his  feet.  At  first  he 
swayed  around  a  little,  but  presently  steadied 
himself. 

"  I'm  good  for  a  little  distance,  captain,  but  I 
don't  reckon  to  go  into  any  walking  match  just 
yet." 

:<  Then  we'll  go  ahead.  As  soon  as  you  feel 
played  out,  don't  hesitate  to  say  so." 

Captain  Moore  carried  the  rifle,  hunting-knife, 
and  what  was  left  of  the  meat,  and  also  insisted 
upon  having  the  private  lean  on  his  arm.  In  this 
fashion  two  miles  were  covered  by  noon,  when 
they  came  to  a  rest  under  the  shade  of  a  big  tree. 
Peck  was  pale,  and  showed  plainly  that  the  exer 
tion  had  done  him  no  good. 

"  Hardest  walking  I  ever  did,"  he  admitted,  as 
he  stretched  himself  at  full  length.  It  was  his 
will-power  alone  that  had  kept  him  up. 

"  Well,  we  are  gaining,"  said  Captain  Moore 
cheerfully.  "  Three  miles  more  will  see  us 
through." 

"  If  the  enemy  don't  gobble  us  in  the  mean 
time." 


A   LUCKY  MEETING.  1 95 

"  The  Indians  are  nowhere  in  sight." 

"  They  won't  be  showing  themselves  if  they  can 
help  it.  They  spring  on  us Hark !  " 

Peck  broke  off  short,  and  both  listened. 

"  Somebody  is  coming  this  way!  "  whispered 
the  young  officer.  "  Come,  we  must  get  out  of 
sight!" 

He  took  the  wounded  soldier  by  the  hand,  and 
with  all  speed  the  pair  crept  into  some  brushwood 
behind  the  big  tree.  In  the  meantime  the  foot 
steps  of  the  unknown  party  came  closer. 

As  the  man  came  into  view,  Captain  Moore  let 
out  a  shout  which  was  full  of  joy. 

"  Hank  Leeson !     How  glad  I  am  to  see  you !  " 

The  old  hunter  started  around  and  drew  up  his 
gun.  Then  the  weapon  dropped,  and  he  ran  for 
ward. 

"  Captain  Moore!  "  he  ejaculated.  "  Hang  me 
ef  I  aint  glad  to  set  eyes  on  ye !  Who  is  that  with 
you?" 

"  Private  Peck  of  Company  B.  We've  had  a 
fight  with  the  Indians,  and  a  number  of  the  sol 
diers  were  killed." 

"  The  Injuns  are  on  the  warpath,  along  with 
the  desperadoes  under  Matt  Gilroy,"  returned 
Leeson.  "  I  got  the  word  from  Sam  Benson 
early  this  mornin'." 

"  And  where  was  Benson  ?  " 


*95  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Out  among  the  hills,  a-lookin'  fer  you." 

''And  what  of  my  brother,  and  my  cousin? 
Have  you  heard  anything  of  them  ?  " 

"  They  are  safe  at  the  fort." 

"Thank  Heaven  for  that!" 

"  I  see  ye'er  both  of  ye  wounded,"  went  on  Lee- 
son,  as  he  came  closer. 

"  My  wound  is  not  much.  But  Peck's  is  bad. 
I  hardly  knew  how  I  was  going  to  get  him  to  the 
fort.  Are  the  Indians  or  desperadoes  around?  " 

'  They  are,  captain — but  whar  is  jest  now  the 
conundrum.  Captain  Lee — he's  in  command 
now — thinks  there's  a  big  plot  on  foot  ter  wipe 
out  the  fort." 

"  He  is  right.  But  Colonel  Fairfield — what  of 
him  ?  Did  they  drug  him  ?  " 

'  They  did,  captain.  But  it's  queer  you  know 
of  all  this." 

'  Then  Joe  didn't  tell  you  I  was  with  him  at 
the  cave?  " 

"  I  didn't  have  time  to  hear  the  whole  story. 
Benson  was  coming  out,  and  I  came  with  him. 
Now,  as  you're  found,  I  reckon  I  had  better  go 
back  with  you,"  went  on  Hank  Leeson. 

"  By  all  means,  for  we'll  have  to  take  turns  in 
supporting  Peck." 

A  few  minutes  later  the  march  for  the  fort  was 
taken  up.  It  was  a  tedious  journey,  and  there 


A   LUCKY  MEETING.  197 

were  times  when  the  young  captain  felt  as  if  it 
would  never  come  to  an  end.  But  at  last  they 
came  within  sight  of  the  stockade  and  the  big  flag 
floating  so  proudly  to  the  breeze,  and  then  several 
came  rushing  out  to  meet  them,,  and  their  hard 
ships,  for  the  time  being,  came  to  an  end. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THE    ENEMIES    WITHIN    THE    FORT. 

"  OH,  I'm  so  glad  to  see  you  again,  Will !  "  was 
the  greeting  which  Joe  gave  his  brother.  "  We 
were  almost  certain  either  the  Indians  or  desper 
adoes  had  fallen  upon  you  and  killed  you." 

"  Well,  we  did  have  some  hot  work/'  answered 
the  young  captain  modestly.  "  Are  you  all 
right?" 

"  I  am." 

"And  you,  Darry?" 

"  I'm  first-class,"  answered  the  cousin.  "  But 
I  can  tell  you,  Will,  there  is  trouble  ahead." 

"  I  know  that,  Darry.  I  must  see  Colonel 
Fairfield  at  once." 

"  He  is  very  ill.  The  surgeon  can  do  hardly 
anything  for  him.  He  says  he  has  not  the  right 
drugs  to  reach  such  a  dose  as  the  colonel  has  swal 
lowed." 

"  That's  too  bad." 

By  this  time  Captain  Lee  was  at  hand,  and  the 
two  officers  exchanged  reports.  Nothing  had 
been  heard  concerning  Lieutenant  Carrol.  The 

198 


THE  ENEMIES    WITHIN    THE   FORT.        199 

command  of  the  fort  now  fell  upon  Captain 
Moore. 

As  soon  as  possible  the  young  commander  went 
in  to  see  his  superior.  He  found  Colonel  Fairfield 
very  weak  and  in  no  condition  to  talk  upon  mili 
tary  matters.  He  took  the  young  captain's  hand, 
and  said  feebly : 

"  You  must  do  your  best,  captain,  do  your  best. 
Defend  the  place  to  the  last." 

"  I  will,  Colonel  Fairfield,"  answered  the  young 
officer.  "  And  I  trust  you  recover  soon." 

That  day  and  the  next  passed  without  incident 
of  a  special  nature.  Sick  and  wounded  were 
cared  for  by  the  surgeon,  and  a  detachment  went 
out,  accompanied  by  Sam  Benson  and  Hank  Lee- 
son,  to  look  for  any  of  the  soldiers  who  had  been 
attacked  by  the  Indians  or  desperadoes  and  who 
might  still  be  alive. 

When  this  party  returned  they  brought  in  the 
bodies  of  two  soldiers  that  had  fallen. 

"  The  Indians  are  gathering  in  force,"  said  old 
Benson,  who  had  been  right  among  them  in  the 
darkness.  '*  There  are  now  over  a  hundred  and 
twenty  of  them." 

"And  what  of  the  desperadoes?"  asked  Cap 
tain  Moore. 

'  The  desperadoes  number  twenty-six,"  an 
swered  Hank  Leeson.  "  I  counted  noses  myself. 


200  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Matt  Gilroy  is  a  reg'lar  captain  over  'em  an'  has 
'em  drilled  like  a  company  o'  sharpshooters — an' 
I  reckon  thet's  wot  they  are,  consarn  'em !  " 

"  Then  the  enemy,  all  told,  numbers  about  a 
hundred  and  fifty,"  mused  the  young  captain. 

"  How  many  men  here  fit  for  duty  today,  cap 
tain?  "  came  from  the  old  scout. 

"  Not  over  forty,  including  the  cooks  and  stable 
help,  Benson.  All  the  others  are  on  the  sick  list 
— and  some  of  them  are  pretty  bad." 

"  Perhaps  the  crowd  outside  are  a-waitin'  till 
ye  all  git  sick,"  suggested  Leeson  with  a  scowl. 
"  'Taint  fair  fightin',  is  it?  They  ought  all  to  be 
hung!" 

"  I  must  do  my  best,"  said  Captain  Moore 
gravely.  "  I  can  do  no  more." 

As  the  day  wore  along  and  two  additional  sol 
diers  were  taken  sick,  he  decided  to  send  a  mes 
senger  to  Fort  Prescott,  a  hundred  and  sixty  miles 
away,  for  assistance. 

Hank  Leeson  knew  every  foot  of  the  territory, 
and  was  chosen  for  the  mission.  Benson  was 
more  than  willing  to  go,  but  Captain  Moore  told 
him  to  remain  where  he  was. 

"  If  the  enemy  attack  us  you'll  have  to  be  our 
right-hand  man,  Benson,"  he  said.  Then  he 
added :  "  I  want  to  talk  to  you  after  Leeson  is 
gone." 


THE  ENEMIES   WITHIN   THE  FORT.       20 r 

Since  coming  to  the  fort  Captain  Moore  had 
been  watching  two  old  soldiers  very  closely. 

These  soldiers  were  named  Moses  Bicker  and 
Jack  Drossdell.  Their  reputations  were  not  of 
the  best,  and  the  black  marks  against  them  were 
numerous. 

Some  time  before,  the  young  captain  had  heard 
that  Bicker  came  of  a  family  of  Colorado  desper 
adoes  and  that  he  had  joined  the  army  during  a 
spasm  of  reformation. 

The  actions  of  the  pair  did  not  suit  Captain 
Moore  in  the  least,  and  that  night  he  took  it  upon 
himself  to  watch  them  more  closely  than  ever. 

In  the  darkness  he  saw  Bicker  make  his  way  to 
the  stable,  and  to  that  spot,  a  little  later,  Dross- 
dell  followed. 

"  Something  is  in  the  wind,  and  I'm  going  to 
find  out  what  it  is,"  he  mused,  and  watching  his 
opportunity  he  passed  into  the  stable  unobserved. 

At  first  he  could  hear  nothing  but  the  move 
ments  of  the  horses,  but  presently  came  a  low  mur 
mur  from  one  corner  of  the  loft. 

Cautiously  the  young  officer  climbed  the  ladder 
and  stepped  into  the  hay. 

Here  he  could  hear  the  conversation  between 
Bicker  and  Drossdell  quite  plainly. 

'  They  never  suspected  the  butter/'  he  heard 
Bicker  say.  "  It  tastes  a  little  strong,  but  they 


202  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

would  rather  have  it  that  way  than  have  none,  and 
the  same  way  with  the  condensed  milk." 

"  When  shall  we  give  the  signal  to  the  boys?  " 
came  from  Drossdell. 

"  Not  yet.  There  will  be  more  of  them  sick  by 
to-morrow  night,"  replied  Bicker. 

More  of  the  same  sort  of  talk  followed,  until 
the  young  captain  became  fully  convinced  that 
Bicker  and  Drossdell  were  in  league  with  the  des 
peradoes,  and  that  they  had  been  using:  some 
drugs  in  the  butter,  milk,  and  other  articles  con 
sumed  at  the  fort,  in  order  to  make  the  soldiers 
sick. 

As  soon  as  he  realized  the  importance  of  his  dis 
covery  Captain  Moore  went  below. 

A  corporal's  guard  was  called  out  and  sent  over 
to  the  stable,  and  when  Bicker  and  Drossdell  came 
below  they  were  placed  under  arrest. 

"  What's  this  for?  "  demanded  Bicker,  putting 
on  a  bold  front.  Drossdell  had  nothing  to  say, 
and  trembled  so  he  could  scarcely  stand. 

"You  know  well  enough,  Bicker,"  answered 
Captain  Moore  sternly. 

"  No,  I  don't.  I  haven't  done  anything  wrong, 
captain." 

"  March  them  to  the  guardhouse,"  was  all  the 
young  commander  said,  and  the  two  were 
promptly  marched  away. 


THE  ENEMIES    WITHIN   THE  FORT.        203 

As  may  be  surmised,  the  moment  the  evildoers 
were  alone  each  accused  the  other  of  having  done 
something  to  bring  on  exposure. 

Captain  Moore  knew  his  men  well,  and  pres 
ently  he  sent  for  Drossdell  and  interviewed  the 
soldier  in  private. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  in  such  trouble  as  this, 
Drossdell,"  he  said.  "  I  thought  you  were  a 
better  soldier/' 

"  I  haven't  done  anything,  captain." 

"  It  is  useless  for  you  to  deny  it.  Do  you  know 
what  my  men  would  do  to  you  and  Bicker  if  they 
learned  the  truth?  They  would  rebel  and  hang 
you  on  the  spot — and  you  would  deserve  it,  too." 

"  Oh,  captain,  for  the  love  of  Heaven,  don't  put 
us  in  the  hands  of  the  boys !  "  pleaded  Drossdell, 
turning  a  ghostly  white. 

'*  You  and  Bicker  plotted  to  get  us  all  sick  and 
then  let  the  Indians  and  Gilroy's  gang  in  on  us." 

"  I— I " 

"  It  is  useless  for  you  to  deny  it,  for  I  heard 
your  talk  myself,  and  saw  a  letter  written  by 
Bicker  to  Gilroy." 

"Bicker  formed  the  plans!"  cried  Drossdell, 
breaking  down  completely.  "  He — he  forced  me 
to  help  him." 

"Forced  you?" 

"  Yes,  captain,  forced  me     I  stood  out  a  long 


204  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

while,  but  he — he Well,  I  might  as  well 

make  a  clean  breast  of  it,  sir.  He  had  me  in  his 
power,  on  account  of  something  I  did  in  Denver 
years  ago.  He  said  he  would  expose  me  if  I 
didn't  help  him." 

"This  is  the  strict  truth ?" 

"  Yes,  captain,  and  I  will  swear  to  it  if  you  want 
me  to,"  answered  the  prisoner. 

'  You  were  going  to  signal  the  gang  when  all 
was  in  readiness  for  an  attack,"  went  on  Captain 
Moore. 

"  Bicker  was  going  to  do  that." 

"  What  was  the  signal  to  be?  " 

"  Three  white  handkerchiefs  stuck  on  the  ends 
of  a  cross  made  of  sticks  six  feet  long.  He  was 
going  to  show  these  at  ten  in  the  morning  or  four 
in  the  afternoon,  from  the  southwest  corner  of  the 
stockade,  behind  the  mess  hall." 

"  And  what  was  the  signal  to  be  if  you  wanted 
the  enemy  to  hold  off  for  a  while?  " 

"  A  red  shirt  if  he  wanted  them  to  hold  off  for 
one  day  and  a  red  and  a  blue  shirt  if  they  were  to 
hold  off  for  two  days." 

:t  You  are  certain  about  these  signals?  Re 
member,  if  you  are  telling  a  lie  it  will  all  come 
back  on  your  own  head." 

"  I  am  telling  the  strict  truth,"  answered  Dross- 
dell. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

SIGNALS    AND    WHAT    FOLLOWED. 

THE  interview  over,  Captain  Moore  lost  no 
time  in  summoning  Hank  Leeson. 

:<  You  must  depart  for  Fort  Prescott  without 
delay,"  he  said. 

"  I'm  ready  now,  captain,"  replied  the  old 
hunter. 

"  You  must  ride  night  and  day  till  you  get 
there." 

"  I'll  do  thet  too." 

"  I  have  received  important  news.  At  the 
longest  our  enemies  will  hold  off  two  days.  I  will 
try  to  make  them  hold  off  a  day  longer  if  I  can. 
That  will  give  you  three  days.  I  will  write  a 
letter  to  Major  Hardie  at  once." 

This  was  early  in  the  morning,  and  inside  of 
half  an  hour  the  letter  was  written  and  the  old 
hunter  was  off,  on  the  back  of  the  freshest  and 
most  enduring  horse  the  fort  possessed.  He 
went  fully  armed,  for  he  knew  that  he  carried  his 
life  in  his  hands. 

As  soon  as  Leeson  had  gone  the  young  captain 

205 


206  £OYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

summoned  the  surgeon  and  told  that  individual 
about  the  drugged  butter  and  condensed  milk. 

Dr.  Nestor  was  incredulous,  but  on  an  exami 
nation  said  that  all  were  drugged.  A  cat  that  had 
drunk  of  the  diluted  condensed  milk  was  found  in 
a  stupor  from  which  she  could  not  be  aroused. 

"  It's  awful,"  said  the  surgeon. 

A  trustworthy  cook  was  called  in,  and  all  the 
butter  and  condensed  milk  which  were  open,  or 
which  showed  signs  of  having  been  tampered 
with,  were  thrown  away. 

This  put  the  soldiers  on  short  rations  so  far  as 
these  commodities  went,  but  nobody  complained. 
Some  suspected  Bicker  and  Drossdell,  and  there 
was  talk  of  a  demand  on  the  captain  to  have  the 
traitors  shot,  but  it  came  to  nothing. 

"  What  does  this  mean?  "  asked  Joe,  when  he 
caught  his  brother  in  a  quiet  spot. 

In  a  few  words  the  young  captain  explained. 

"  You  and  Darry  must  say  nothing,"  he  con 
cluded.  "  We  will  have  our  hands  full  as  it  is. 
The  Indians  are  in  this,  but  the  drugging  was  not 
done  by  Mose  the  half-breed." 

"  When  will  you  signal  to  the  enemy  ?  "  asked 
Darry. 

"  This  afternoon  at  four.  That  will  give  us  at 
least  two  whole  days — and  a  lot  may  happen  in 
that  time." 


SIGNALS  AND    WHAT  FOLLOWED.          207 

"  If  only  the  surgeon  can  bring  some  of  the  men 
out  of  their  stupor,"  remarked  Joe. 

"  He  hopes  to  do  so — now  he  knows  more  about 
the  drugs  used  against  them." 

"  If  you  hadn't  caught  Bicker  and  Drossdell 
what  do  you  suppose  would  have  happened?" 
questioned  Darry. 

"  More  than  likely  every  one  of  us  would  have 
been  sick,"  answered  the  young  captain  with  a 
shudder.  "  Then  the  Indians  and  the  desper 
adoes  could  have  walked  in  here  without  a 
struggle." 

"  Even  if  help  does  not  come,  you'll  fight  them, 
won't  you,  Will?" 

"  To  be  sure— to  the  bitter  end." 

"  By  the  way,  are  you  certain  the  ammunition 
hasn't  been  tampered  with?  "  came  from  Joe. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  that  and  was  going  to  have 
an  examination  made  when  you  stopped  me,"  said 
Captain  Moore,  and  hurried  on. 

An  examination  showed  that  some  of  the 
powder  on  the  place  had  been  hidden.  Drossdell 
said  this  was  under  the  barn  flooring,  and  his 
words  proved  true. 

Promptly  at  four  o'clock  Captain  Moore  ap 
peared  at  1;he  southwest  corner  of  the  stockade 
with  a  red  shirt  in  one  hand  and  a  blue  shirt  in  the 
other. 


208  BOYS  OF   THE   FORT. 

Fortunately  he  was  built  like  Bicker,  and  don 
ning  a  private's  hat  and  coat  made  him  look  a 
good  deal  like  that  individual  from  a  distance. 

Slowly  he  waved  the  coats  to  and  fro  for  five 
minutes. 

Then  an  answering  signal  came  back  from  some 
brushwood  on  the  top  of  a  distant  hill — the  an 
swer  being  similar  to  the  signal  itself,  showing  the 
message  was  seen  and  understood. 

It  is  likely  that  the  Indians  and  desperadoes 
were  much  chagrined  to  think  that  they  would 
have  to  hold  off  for  two  days,  but  if  so  they  made 
no  sign. 

The  next  day  proved  unusually  warm.  There 
was  nothing  for  the  boys  to  do  in  the  fort,  and 
they  wandered  around  from  place  to  place.  At 
drill  but  thirty-eight  soldiers  presented  themselves, 
all  the  others  being  on  the  sick  list. 

"  I  must  say  I  don't  feel  very  well  myself,"  re 
marked  Darry.  "  I  can  hardly  keep  my  eyes 
open." 

"  Gracious !  don't  say  that  you're  going  to  get 
sick  too!  "  cried  Joe. 

"  I  won't  get  sick  if  I  can  help  it,"  replied 
Darry.  "  But  I  feel  awfully  queer." 

Joe  did  what  he  could  for  his  cousin.  But,  with 
the  limited  means  at  hand,  this  was  not  much,  and 
by  sundown  Darry  was  flat  on  his  back,  although 


SIGNALS  AND    WHAT  FOLLOWED.          209 

the  attack  he  sustained  was  not  as  severe  as  that 
of  many  around  him. 

"  I  feel  as  if  I  was  in  something  of  a  dream,"  he 
told  Joe.  '*  That  drug  must  have  opium  in  it." 

"  It's  something  like  opium — I  heard  the  sur 
geon  say  so,"  answered  his  cousin. 

At  night  a  strict  watch  was  kept,  and  twice  old 
Benson  went  out  to  reconnoiter. 

'  The  Indians  and  desperadoes  have  sur 
rounded  us  on  all  sides,"  he  announced.  "  But  it 
don't  look  as  if  they  meant  to  attack  us  just  yet." 

With  the  coming  of  morning  it  began  to  rain, 
but  this  cleared  away  by  noon,  and  then  the  sun 
boiled  down  as  fiercely  as  ever.  The  sunny  spots 
within  the  stockade  were  suffocating,  and  the  boys 
were  glad  enough  to  stay  within  the  cool  walls  of 
the  stone  fort. 

As  far  as  he  was  able  Captain  Moore  had  pre 
pared  the  place  to  resist  an  attack.  A  weak  spot 
in  the  stockade  was  strengthened  and  the  cannon 
of  the  fort  were  put  in  the  best  possible  condition. 
The  soldiers  were  told  where  to  go  in  case  of  a 
sudden  alarm,  and  were  cautioned  not  to  waste 
any  ammunition,  for  the  supply  was  limited. 

Thanks  to  the  surgeon's  efforts  Colonel  Fair- 
field  was  now  somewhat  better.  Yet  he  was  too 
weak  %  far  to  get  up  or  to  manage  affairs,  so  the 
command  still  remained  in  Captain  Moore's 


210  SOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

hands.     Even  Captain  Lee  was  now  down,  and  it 
was  a  question  whether  he  would  live  or  die. 

'  You  must  do  your  best,  Captain  Moore/'  said 
the  colonel  feebly.  "  I  know  I  can  trust  you. 
You  are  brave,  and  your  training  has  been  a  judi 
cious  one." 

Early  that  night  there  came  a  sudden  alarm, 
followed  by  two  rifle  shots  in  quick  succession. 
At  once  there  was  a  commotion,  and  everybody 
sprang  to  his  post. 

'  The  Indians  and  desperadoes  must  be  coin 
ing!  "  cried  Joe,  and  ran  for  the  rifle  with  which 
he  had  been  armed. 

The  cause  of  the  alarm,  however,  was  not  from 
without,  but  from  within.  Bicker  had  forced  his 
way  out  of  the  guardhouse,  and  at  the  risk  of 
breaking  his  neck  had  climbed  to  the  roof  of  the 
barn  and  leaped  over  the  stockade  into  the  ditch 
outside. 

A  guard  had  seen  the  leap  and  had  fired  on  the 
man,  hitting  him,  it  was  thought,  in  the  shoulder. 
Then  a  second  guard  had  discharged  his  weapon, 
but  by  this  time  the  fleeing  prisoner  had  been 
swallowed  up  in  the  gathering  darkness. 

"  He  must  not  get  away !  "  cried  the  young  cap 
tain.  "If  he  does,  they  will  attack  us  at  once. 
After  him,  Benson,  and  you,  too,  Forshew  and 
Donaldson.  I  will  follow  with  some  horses !  " 


SIGNALS  AND    WHAT  FOLLOWED.          211 

Without  delay  the  old  scout  climbed  the  stock 
ade  and  scrambled  over  the  ditch.  The  others 
ran  around  to  the  gate,  and  soon  several  addi 
tional  soldiers  followed.  On  second  thought 
Captain  Moore  sent  the  horses  out  by  a  lieutenant, 
thinking  it  best  that  he  remain  where  he  was,  that 
being  primarily  his  post  of  duty. 

"  Can  we  go  ?  "  asked  Joe. 

"  No,  Joe,  stay  where  you  are,"  said  his 
brother.  "  If  that  rascal  gets  to  his  friends  there 
will  be  work  enough  here,  never  fear." 

The  pursuit  of  Bicker  lasted  for  over  an  hour, 
and  brought  on  a  smart  skirmish  between  the  men 
from  the  fort  and  the  desperadoes,  in  which  one 
person  on  each  side  was  slightly  wounded.  But 
the  rascal  managed  to  gain  the  enemy's  camp  in 
safety,  and  then  those  from  the  fort  came  back  as 
fast  as  possible  to  report. 

"  Now  the  deception  is  up,"  said  Captain 
Moore,  with  a  serious  look.  "  I  wouldn't  be  sur 
prised  to  see  them  attack  us  before  morning." 

"  Right  you  are,  captain,"  replied  old  Benson, 
"  and  my  opinion  is,  that  the  desperadoes  and  In 
dians  will  fight  hard,  when  once  they  get  going," 
he  concluded. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE  DEMANDS  OF  THE  ENEMY. 

IT  was  an  hour  later,  when  the  excitement  had 
cooled  down  a  little,  that  Captain  Moore  sent  for 
Benson  again.  Wondering  what  was  to  follow, 
the  old  scout  hurried  to  the  room  in  which  the 
young  commander  was  transacting  his  business. 

"  I  want  a  little  talk  with  you  in  private,  Ben 
son,"  said  the  young  officer. 

"  Yes,  captain." 

"  I  know  you've  been  wondering  why  I  didn't 
send  you  to  Fort  Prescott  instead  of  sending 
Hank  Leeson." 

'  You  had  a  right  to  do  as  you  pleased,  cap 
tain." 

'  The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  Benson,  I  wanted 
you  here.  You  brought  Joe  and  Darry  to  the 
fort,  and  those  two  boys  need  looking  after.  We 
are  going  to  have  a  fight,  sooner  or  later.  We 
may  win,  and  if  we  do,  all  right.  But  if  we 
don't " 

"  You  want  me  to  stand  by  the  boys  to  the 
last  ?  "  put  in  the  old  scout  quickly. 

"  I  do,  Benson ;  and,  no  matter  what  comes,  I 


THE  DEMANDS  OF   THE  ENEMY.          213 

want  you  to  promise  to  do  your  level  best  to  save 
them,  and  see  them  safe  back  to  the  East.  If  the 
worst  comes  I  am  willing  to  die  fighting,  but 
Joe  must  get  out  of  it  somehow.  If  he  doesn't  it 
will  break  my  mother's  heart.  And  you  must  do 
as  well  by  Darry,  for  he  is  ah  only  child." 

The  eyes  of  the  old  scout  and  the  young  captain 
met.  Then  Benson  put  out  his  hand,  which  Cap 
tain  Moore  quickly  grasped. 

"  I  understand,  captain.  I'll  do  my  best,  and  if 
those  lads  don't  get  away  it  will  be  because  Sam 
Benson  aint  alive  to  take  'em." 

"  As  you  are  not  a  soldier  you  have  a  right  to 
leave  the  fort  as  quickly  as  you  please,"  went  on 
the  young  captain.  :<  Therefore,  if  you  see  the 
tide  of  battle  turning  against  us,  don't  wait,  but 
get  the  boys  away  as  speedily  and  as  secretly  as 
you  can." 

"  I  will,  captain;  but  yourself ' 

"  Never  mind  me.  Get  the  boys  to  a  place  of 
safety,  and  I  know  our  family  and  Darry's  family 
will  reward  you  well." 

"  I  won't  want  any  reward.  I  took  to  the  lads 
from  the  start,  and  I'll  stand  by  'em  through  thick 
and  thin,"  said  old  Benson. 

There  was  but  little  sleeping  done  in  the  fort 
that  night.  The  majority  of  the  soldiers  slept  on 
their  arms,  expecting  an  alarm  at  any  moment. 


BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Yet  it  did  not  come,  and  the  sun  rose  on  a  scene  of 
perfect  peace  and  quiet. 

But  at  eight  o'clock  a  sentinel  announced  a 
horseman  approaching,  bearing  a  white  flag. 

"  So  they  want  to  talk,  eh  ?  "  said  the  young 
captain.  "  All  right,  anything  to  gain  time." 

The  flag  of  truce  was  promptly  answered,  and 
as  the  horseman  came  closer  many  recognized 
Matt  Gilroy.  The  young  captain  went  out  him 
self  to  meet  the  leader  of  the  desperadoes. 

"Good-morning,  Captain  Moore,"  began  the 
desperado,  with  a  regular  military  salute. 

"  What  brings  you  ?  "  demanded  the  captain 
abruptly. 

"  Well,  I  thought  we  had  best  come  to  terms — 
that's  what  brought  me." 

1  Terms  about  what,  Gilroy?" 

'  Terms  about  surrendering  the  fort  and  all  of 
its  contents." 

"  Surrendering?     To  whom?  " 

'  You  know  well  enough,  Captain  Moore.  It 
will  be  only  a  waste  of  time  to  beat  about  the  bush. 
Our  crowd  and  the  Indians  now  number  over 
three  hundred,  and  we  are  bound  to  get  possession 
of  the  fort  and  all  that  is  in  it." 

"  Do  you  speak  for  the  Indians  as  well  as  for 
yoruself?" 

"  I  do." 


THE  DEMANDS  OF   THE  ENEMY.  215 

"  So  far  as  I  know  the  Indians  are  not  on  the 
warpath,  Gilroy.  I  must  have  a  talk  with  one  of 
their  chiefs  before  I  do  anything." 

"  You  know  they  are  on  the  warpath.  Didn't 
you  have  a  mix-up  with  them  ?  " 

"  There  are  always  some  Indians  who  are  ugly 
and  willing  to  make  trouble." 

"  Well,  all  the  Indians  are  standing  in  with  us 
on  this  deal/'  went  on  Gilroy,  his  face  darkening. 
"  And  you  have  got  to  surrender  or  take  the  con 
sequences." 

''  What  will  the  consequences  be?  " 

"  If  you  won't  surrender  we'll  attack  the  fort 
immediately.  We  know  just  how  weak  you  are, 
and  let  me  tell  you  that  we  have  a  dozen  or  more 
dynamite  bombs  on  hand  with  which  we  can  blow 
the  fort  sky-high  if  we  wish." 

"  What  good  will  it  do  you  to  capture  the 
fort?" 

"  We  know  all  about  the  money  that  is  stored 
here,  and  we  want  every  dollar  of  it." 

"  And  if  we  surrender?  " 

"If  you  surrender  you  will  be  allowed  to  march 
from  the  place  unmolested,  taking  all  of  your  sick 
with  you,  or  leaving  them  here,  in  care  of  a  doc 
tor,  if  you  prefer.  If  you  know  where  your  head 
is  level  you  will  surrender,"  went  on  the  desperado 
earnestly. 


21 6  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"  But  if  I  am  compelled  to  surrender,  don't  you 
know  that  our  army  will  be  after  you,  Gilroy?  " 

"  Never  mind,  we'll  take  care  of  that  part  of  it," 
was  the  answer,  with  a  sickly  grin.  "  Then  you 
agree  to  surrender  ?  " 

"  I  can't  do  it  until  I  have  spoken  with  one  of 
the  leading  Indian  chiefs." 

At  this  the  desperado's  face  fell. 

"  Will  White  Ox  do?  "  he  asked,  after  an  awk 
ward  pause. 

"  Yes." 

"All  right;  I'll  bring  him  along  in  about  half 
an  hour." 

This  ended  the  interview,  and  turning  his  horse 
Matt  Gilroy  rode  off  and  Captain  Moore  walked 
back  to  the  fort. 

"  A  little  time  gained,  at  least,"  was  the  young 
officer's  comment. 

It  was  fully  an  hour  before  Gilroy  reappeared, 
accompanied  by  White  Ox  and  an  under-chief 
known  as  Little  Wildcat. 

"  Want  to  talk,"  grunted  White  Ox,  coming  to 
a  halt  at  a  safe  distance. 

"  Have  you  dug  up  the  hatchet,  White  Ox?  " 
demanded  the  captain.  "  If  not,  let  us  smoke  the 
pipe  of  peace  together." 

'  The  pipe  of  peace  is  broken,"  answered  the 
old  Indian.  "  The  white  man  is  not  the  red  man's 


THE  DEMANDS  OF   THE  ENEMY.  *IJ 

friend.     He  makes  promises  only  to  break  them. 
The  Indian  must  fight  for  what  is  his  own." 

"  Do  you  consider  this  fort  your  own?  " 
'  The  land  is  the  red  man's — the  white  man  has 
stolen  it  from  him.     The  white  man  must  go  and 
leave  the  red  man  to  his  own." 

"  If  you  want  the  white  man  to  go  why  don't 
you  drive  Gilroy  and  his  gang  away  too  ?  " 

. "  They  have  promised  to  leave — after  they  have 
had  their  share  of  what  is  here." 

"  Oh,  so  that's  the  bargain !  " 

:<  You  see  how  matters  stand,  Captain  Moore," 
broke  in  the  leader  of  the  desperadoes.  "  If  you 
know  when  you  are  well  off,  you'll  submit  as 
gracefully  as  possible." 

"  If  we  leave  will  you  promise  to  let  all  go  in 
peace,"  went  on  the  young  captain  to  the  Indian 
chief,  "  you  will  not  molest  the  women  or  any 
of  the  young  people?  " 

'  Yes,  all  the  women  and  young  people  can  go," 
said  White  Ox,  but  the  look  in  his  face  was  not 
one  to  be  trusted. 

"  And  if  we  refuse  when  do  you  expect  to  at 
tack  us?" 

"  At  once." 

The  reply  came  from  Matt  Gilroy,  and  White 
Ox  nodded  in  the  affirmative. 

"  I  must  consult  Colonel  Fairfield  first,"  saitf 


BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

the  captain  slowly,  wondering  how  he  was  to  gain 
more  time. 

"  I  thought  you  were  in  command,"  remarked 
Gilroy. 

"  I  was — but  the  colonel  is  getting  better. 
Meet  me  here  in  another  hour,  and  I  will  give  you 
his  reply  and  my  own." 

This  did  not  suit  Gilroy  and  White  Ox,  but  the 
captain  was  firm,  and  at  last  they  went  off,  promis 
ing  to  be  back  exactly  at  the  end  of  the  hour. 

"  And  then  it  must  be  surrender  or  fight,"  said 
the  leader  of  the  desperadoes  sharply.  "  No  more 
dilly-dallying." 

It  must,  be  confessed  that  Captain  Moore  re 
turned  to  the  fort  in  a  thoughtful  mood.  He  had 
an  awful  responsibility  upon  his  shoulders.  He 
called  several  of  the  other  officers  in  consultation. 

"  For  myself,  I  believe  in  fighting,"  he  said. 
"  But  we  must  consider  those  who  are  sick  and 
must  consider  the  women." 

"  The  colonel's  wife  wishes  us  to  fight  to  the 
end,"  replied  another  officer.  "  She  is  not  will 
ing  to  trust  White  Ox  or  any  of  the  other  red 
skins." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  surrendering,"  put  in  an 
other.  "  Let  us  see  if  we  can't  hold  off  until  we 
hear  from  Leeson  and  Fort  Prescott." 

And  so  it  was  arranged. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

OPENING    OF    THE    BATTLE. 

PROMPTLY  on  the  minute  Gilroy  and  White  Ox 
appeared  again,  with  the  white  flag  of  truce  flying 
between  them. 

This  time  Captain  Moore  took  with  him  one  of 
his  lieutenants,  Bacon  by  name. 

The  interview  was  shorter  than  the  captain  had 
anticipated. 

"Well,  is  it  surrender  or  not?"  asked  Matt 
Gilroy. 

"  We  must  have  more  time,"  answered  Cap 
tain  Moore.  "  Cannot  you  wait  until  to-morrow 
morning?  " 

"  Not  another  minute,"  was  the  angry  reply. 
"  Is  it  surrender  or  not  ?  Answer  yes  or  no." 

"  We  will  not  surrender — at  least  not  yet," 
came  from  the  young  captain  firmly. 

*  Then  your  time  is  up,  and  we  shall  attack  at 
once,"  returned  the  leader  of  the  desperadoes. 
"  Am  I  not  right,  White  Ox?  " 

'  You  have  spoken  truly,"  came  from  the  In 
dian  chief.  "  Soon  the  blood  of  the  white  sol 
diers  will  flow  freely." 


BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Without  another  word  White  Ox  galloped 
away,  and  Matt  Gilroy  went  after  him. 

"  We  are  up  against  a  battle  now !  "  exclaimed 
Lieutenant  Bacon. 

"  I  have  done  my  best  to  delay  the  contest — I 
can  do  no  more,"  said  Captain  Moore. 

When  he  returned  inside  of  the  stockade  he  was 
immediately  surrounded. 

"  Boys,  we  must  fight/'  he  said  in  a  loud,  clear 
voice.  "  They  will  wait  ho  longer.  But  re- 
enforcements  must  be  on  the  way  by  this  time. 
Can  I  depend  upon  your  standing  by  me?  " 

:t  Yes !  yes !  "  was  the  cry. 

"  We  know  how  to  do  our  duty  to  Uncle  Sam 
and  the  flag!" 

"  Let  the  desperadoes  and  the  Indians  come  on ! 
We'll  give  them  as  hot  a  reception  as  they  ever 
got!" 

While  the  soldiers  were  taking  their  way  to  the 
several  defenses  of  the  fort  there  was  the  beating 
of  Indian  drums  at  a  distance,  followed  by  the 
blowing  of  a  bugle  in  the  camp  of  the  desperadoes. 

Soon  the  beating  and  blowing  came  from  half  a 
dozen  directions. 

1  They  are  gathering,  sure  enough !  "  exclaimed 
Joe.  "  I  wonder  how  long  it  will  be  before  they 
fire  the  first  shot?" 

"  They'll  not  be  rash—be  sure  of  that,"  an- 


OPENING  OF   THE  BATTLE.  *2t 

swered  Darry.  "  They  must  know  that  the  fort 
is  a  strong  place." 

A  little  later  one  of  the  guards  announced  that 
bodies  of  Indians  were  marching  from  the  south 
of  the  fort  to  the  westward. 

Here  there  was  a  fringe  of  trees  at  a  distance  of 
not  over  a  hundred  yards  from  the  stockade. 

Colonel  Fairfield  had  often  thought  to  have  the 
belt  of  timberland  cut  down,  but  had  never  put 
the  plan  into  execution. 

"  They  mean  to  get  as  close  as  possible  before 
they  expose  themselves,"  said  the  captain.  "  Dil- 
berry,have  the  four-pounder  trained  on  that  spot." 

"  I  will,  Captain  Moore,"  said  the  head  gun 
ner,  and  saluted. 

Quarter  of  an  hour  went  by,  and  the  drumming 
and  bugle  calling  had  ceased. 

Suddenly  a  shout  went  up  from  behind  the  belt 
of  timberland,  and  a  small  cannon  spoke  up,  send 
ing  a  shell  into  the  ditch  outside  the  stockade. 

"  Hullo,  they  have  a  cannon  after  all,"  thought 
Captain  Moore.  He  called  Bilberry  to  him. 
"  Can  you  get  the  range  of  that  piece?  "  he  asked. 

"  I  can  try,  sir." 

"  Then  do  it,  and  if  you  can  disable  the  piece  so 
much  the  better." 

At  once  the  head  gunner  ran  off  and  sighted  one 
of  the  cannon  of  the  fort  with  care. 


222  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

A  few  seconds  later  the  cannon  spoke  up  with 
a  report  that  rang  in  the  boys'  ears  for  long  after. 
The  ball  sped  straight  into  the  timberland  and  cut 
down  a  heavy  sapling  growing  beside  the  piece 
the  enemy  were  reloading.  One  desperado  was 
killed  instantly  and  another  badly  injured. 

"  A  fair  shot !  "  said  the  young  captain.  "  Try 
it  again,"  but  before  Bilberry  could  do  so  the  can 
non  was  withdrawn  from  sight. 

After  this  came  another  lull,  as  if  desperadoes 
and  Indians  were  considering  what  to  do  next. 

"  It's  a  wonder  they  don't  make  a  rush/'  said 
Joe,  "  if  they  have  so  many  in  their  command." 

"  Nobody  cares  to  risk  an  advance  in  the  open, 
Joe,"  said  old  Benson.  "  More  than  likely  they 
won't  try  to  do  much  until  dark." 

Again  the  Indian  drums  were  rolling,  coupled 
with  shrill  warwhoops. 

Then,  with  a  wild  yelling  and  a  brandishing  of 
rifles,  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  red  men  burst 
from  cover  and  ran  toward  the  stockade. 

"  They  are  coming!  "  was  the  cry. 

"  Stand  firm,  men,  don't  waste  your  ammuni 
tion  !  "  Captain  Moore  cried.  He  turned  to  the 
gunner.  "  Let  them  have  it,  Bilberry !  " 

Bang!  the  cannon  boomed  out  again,  and  the 
shot  tore  through  the  advancing  horde  of  Indians, 
laying  four  of  them  low. 


OPENING  OF    THE  BATTLE.  223 

Then  came  a  volley  from  the  red  men,  followed 
by  the  discharge  of  the  piece  in  the  hands  of  the 
desperadoes.  The  splinters  flew  in  several  direc 
tions  around  the  stockade  and  one  soldier  was 
seriously  wounded.  The  cannon  ball  grazed  the 
flagstaff,  and  presently  it  was  seen  to  totter. 

"  Look  out !  "  roared  old  Benson  to  Joe,  and  as 
he  spoke  down  came  the  Stars  and  Stripes  on  the 
heads  of  Joe  and  Darry,  and  a  section  of  the  flag 
staff  with  it. 

:<  The  flag  is  down !  "  A  score  of  voices  took 
up  the  cry,  and  a  yell  of  triumph  came  from  the 
Indians  and  desperadoes. 

"  It's  not  going  to  remain  down ! "  cried  old 
Benson,  and  began  to  climb  what  remained  of  the 
pole.  He  carried  the  halyard  with  him,  and  soon, 
with  the  aid  of  the  two  boys,  he  had  the  glorious 
Stars  and  Stripes  once  more  in  position. 

In  the  meantime  the  soldiers  under  Captain 
Moore  were  busy.  The  Indians  were  now  at  the 
ditch,  and  one  had  advanced  as  far  as  the  stockade 
itself.  They  were  yelling  like  demons,  and  now 
the  desperadoes  began  to  show  themselves,  con 
fident  that  the  fort  would  soon  be  taken. 

'  They  haven't  got  a  corporal's  guard  to  de 
fend  it!  "  cried  Matt  Gilroy.  "  Nearly  everyone 
of  those  inside  is  sick.  Come  on !  " 

The  noise  was  now  deafening,  for  soldiers  and 


224  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

Indians  were  discharging  their  weapons  as  rapidly 
as  possible.  The  red  men  had  brought  with  them 
a  long  board,  to  which  cross-pieces  were  nailed. 
This  board  was  now  set  slantingly  against  the 
stockade,  and  a  dozen  warriors  rushed  upon  it. 

"  Down  with  them !  "  shouted  Captain  Moore. 
"Heave  the  plank  off!" 

A  dozen  soldiers  started  to  do  his  bidding. 
The  first  that  showed  himself  was  shot  down,  and 
the  second  shared  a  similar  fate.  But  others 
were  more  successful,  and  into  the  ditch  went  the 
board  with  a  loud  splash,  carrying  the  Indians 
with  it. 

The  soldiers  set  up  a  shout  of  triumph,  and  as 
the  red  men  fell  back  those  who  could  gain  a  point 
of  vantage  fired  on  the  enemy.  By  this  move 
ment  three  Indians  were  left  in  the  ditch  dead  and 
several  others  were  wounded.  A  desperado  was 
also  brought  down.  Those  that  were  uninjured 
lost  no  time  in  seeking  cover;  and  thus  the  first 
advance  on  the  fort  came  to  an  end. 

All  told,  the  attack  had  lasted  nearly  an  hour, 
and  when  it  was  over  it  was  found  that  everybody 
was  hot,  dry,  and  dusty.  But,  fortunately, 
water  was  to  be  had  in  plenty,  and  a  drink  re 
freshed  all.  The  dead  and  wounded  were  carried 
away,  and  the  latter  were  made  as  comfortable  as 
the  limited  means  of  the  fort  afforded. 


OPENING  OF   THE  BATTLE.  225 

"  They  won't  come  back  in  a  hurry,"  said  the 
young  captain.  :<  The  Indians  have  had  their 
eyes  opened." 

"  How  soon  can  those  re-enforcements  come, 
Will?"  asked  Joe. 

"  I  don't  think  they  can  get  here  before  to 
morrow  noon,  if  as  soon.  They'll  have  a  long 
journey  before  them,  and  a  body  of  several  hun 
dred  soldiers  can't  travel  as  fast  as  a  single 
person." 

"  Of  course  they'll  be  cavalry,"  put  in  Darry. 

"  I  hope  so — if  the  cavalry  was  at  Fort  Prescott 
when  Leeson  got  there." 

Colonel  Fairfield  was  much  disturbed  by  the 
shooting,  and  he  insisted  upon  sitting  up  and  hear 
ing  the  particulars. 

"  Good !  "  he  murmured.  "  Keep  them  off  an 
other  twenty-four  hours  and  we  shall  be  saved," 
and  then  he  went  off  in  another  stupor. 

All  was  now  as  quiet  as  if  not  an  enemy  was 
within  a  mile  of  the  fort.  But  the  soldiers  re 
mained  on  guard,  and  this  vigilance  was  increased 
as  the  sun  went  down  in  the  west. 

«  "  This  night  will  tell  the  tale,"  was  old  Benson's 
comment.  "  Boys,  it's  do  or  die,  and  don't  you 
forget  it !  " 

Whether  or  not  the  old  scout  was  right  we  shall 
soon  see. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

SIGNALS     IN     THE    DARK. 

"  JOE,  I've  got  a  scheme  to  outwit  the  desper 
adoes  and  Indians,  and  I've  a  good  mind  to  pro 
pose  it  to  Will." 

It  was  Darry  who  spoke,  as  he  and  Joe  were 
eating  an  early  supper  that  night,  in  one  corner  of 
the  messroom. 

"  If  the  scheme  is  good  for  anything  let  Will 
have  it  by  all  means,"  answered  his  cousin. 
"  Heaven  knows  we  need  all  the  help  we  can  get !  " 

"  My  scheme  is  this,"  went  on  Darry.  "  Those 
Indians  and  the  desperadoes  must  know  some 
thing  of  our  sending  off  for  re-enforcements. 
Now  why  can't  Will  send  out  old  Benson  and  a 
few  others,  to  steal  off  for  several  miles  and  light 
camp-fires,  blow  bugles,  and  all  that,  to  make  the 
enemy  think  the  re-enforcements  are  close  at 
hand?" 

Joe  clapped  his  hands.  "  That's  a  grand 
scheme !  "  he  cried.  "  Let's  speak  to  Will  about 
it  at  once." 

336 


SIGNALS  IN  THE  DARK.  227 

The  supper  was  soon  finished,  and  they  sought 
out  the  young  captain,  who  was  dividing  up  his 
force  for  guard  duty  during  the  night. 

"  I  was  thinking  of  such  a  scheme  myself,"  he 
said,  when  he  had  heard  them.  "  And  old  Ben 
son  suggested  it,  too.  Perhaps  I'll  do  it." 

"  If  old  Benson  goes  can't  I  go  with  him  ?  " 
asked  Joe  quickly. 

"  And  let  me  go  too,"  put  in  Darry.  "  You 
won't  miss  us  as  much  as  you  would  miss  two  of 
your  regulars." 

At  this  the  young  captain  grew  grave.  "  Old 
Benson  said  he  would  like  to  take  you  along. 
Perhaps  it  would  be  best,  too."  He  paused. 
'''  You  see,  they  may  fall  on  the  fort  to-night  and 
wipe  us  out  completely." 

"  Oh,  Will,  do  you  really  believe  that?  " 

"  They  will  certainly  attack  us,  and  the  men  fit 
for  duty  number  but  thirty-four.  Thirty-four 
against  several  hundred  is  not  much  of  a  force, 
even  in  a  fort." 

The  matter  was  talked  over  for  half  an  hour, 
and  old  Benson  was  called  in  for  consultation. 
In  the  end  it  was  decided  that  the  old  scout  should 
head  a  party  consisting  of  two  regulars  and  the 
two  boys,  who  were  to  carry  a  drum  and  a  bugle 
and  a  good  supply  of  matches  for  bonfires. 

"  If  you  can  pass  them  without  being  seen,  head 


228  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

straight  for  Conner's  Hill,"  said  Captain  Moore. 
Blow  the  bugle  there,  and  beat  the  drum,  and  then 
move  over  to  Decker's  Falls  and  light  your  first 
camp-fire.  After  that  you'll  have  to  do  what  you 
think  is  best." 

"  I  understand,  captain,"  answered  the  old 
scout.  "  And  trust  me  to  fool  'em  nicely,  if  the 
trick  can  be  done  at  all." 

"  It  is  not  going  to  be  an  extra-dark  night," 
went  on  the  young  officer.  "  So  you  will  have 
your  own  troubles  in  getting  away  from  the  fort 
without  being  seen." 

"  1  know  a  route,"  answered  old  Benson. 
"  Trust  me  for  it."  But  just  then  he  would  say 
no  more. 

The  men  to  go  along  were  named  Cass  and 
Bernstein.  Cass  was  a  good  drummer  and 
bugler,  and  Bernstein  was  noted  for  his  good  sight 
and  the  accuracy  of  his  aim.  All  of  the  party 
went  fully  armed,  and  took  with  them  rations  for 
two  days. 

"  Good-by,  Joe,"  said  the  captain  affectionately, 
and  he  took  his  brother  by  the  hand.  "  I  hope 
you  pull  through  in  safety." 

"  And  I  hope  you  do  too,  Will,"  answered  Joe, 
and  his  lip  quivered  as  he  spoke.  Perhaps  this 
would  be  the  last  time  he  would  see  his  brother 
alive.  Never  before  had  the  situation  appeared 


SIGNALS  IN   THE  DARK.  229 

so  serious  as  now.  Darry  also  received  an  affec 
tionate  farewell. 

In  absolute  silence  old  Benson  led  his  little  party 
to  a  far  corner  of  the  stockade,  where  there  was  a 
small  gate,  fastened  with  a  strong  leg  bar.  This 
gate  was  opened  just  far  enough  for  them  to  slip 
through,  and  then  closed  again.  Their  mission 
had  begun.  There  was  no  telling  how  it  would 
end. 

Slipping  into  the  ditch,  the  old  scout  told  the 
others  to  lie  low,  while  he  and  Bernstein  surveyed 
the  situation.  It  was  silent,  and  from  overhead 
only  a  few  stars  twinkled  down  upon  them. 

Old  Benson  presently  pointed  with  his  bony 
hand. 

"  Clear  that  way,  aint  it?  "  he  whispered. 

"  Looks  so,"  answered  Bernstein,  after  a  search 
ing  look  lasting  several  minutes,  "  I  wouldn't 
go  too  close  to  that  patch  of  underbrush,  though." 

The  party  began  crawling  along  the  ditch,  until 
they  came  to  a  little  gully  which  the  last  heavy 
rains  had  formed.  Here  they  progressed  on 
hands  and  knees  until  they  reached  some  low 
brushwood.  Then  old  Benson,  still  crouching 
close  to  the  ground,  set  off  on  a  lope,  and  the 
others  came  after  him  in  Indian  file. 

If  they  had  been  discovered,  neither  Indians  nor 
desperadoes  gave  any  sign,  and  inside  of  ten 


£OYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

minutes  the  fort  was  left  out  of  sight,  and  they 
were  standing  in  a  hollow  fringed  with  berry 
bushes.  The  boys  were  somewhat  out  of  breath, 
and  old  Benson  gave  them  a  short  spell  in  which  to 
get  back  their  wind. 

"  We  were  right,  they  are  none  of  'em  in  this 
vicinity,"  said  the  old  scout.  "  Getting  away  was 
easier  than  I  expected/' 

"  It  was  no  easy  matter  with  the  drum,"  came 
from  Cass.  "  I  came  pretty  close  to  falling  and 
smashing  it  once." 

The  course  now  led  up  a  small  hill  and  then 
across  a  valley  to  another  hill,  a  distance  of  nearly 
three  miles.  The  trail  was  by  no  means  straight 
and  the  walking  was  bad,  and  Joe  and  Darry  had 
all  they  could  do  to  keep  up  with  the  others. 

At  the  last  minute  Captain  Moore  had  given 
the  boys  half  a  dozen  rockets,  and  explained  how 
the  fireworks  were  to  be  set  off.  Everything 
they  could  do  to  puzzle  the  enemy  was  to  be 
done. 

At  last  they  gained  the  top  of  Conner's  Hill — so 
called  because  Major  Conner  fell  there  while  bat 
tling  with  some  stage-robbers  early  in  the 
seventies. 

Bringing  around  his  bugle,  Cass  blew  a  long 
blast  and  then  a  regular  military  call,  which 
echoed  and  re-echoed  throughout  the  mountains. 


SIGNALS  IN   THE  DARK.  231 

This  was  followed  by  a  long  roll  on  the  drum, 
and  then  another  call  oh  the  bugle. 

After  this  all  waited  impatiently,  gazing  in  the 
direction  of  the  fort,  which  was,  of  course,  hidden 
in  the  darkness. 

"  There  they  go !  "  cried  Joe,  and  as  he  spoke 
two  rockets  flared  up,  dying  out  almost  in 
stantly. 

The  boys  had  planted  two  of  the  fireworks 
given  them,  and  now  these  were  touched  off  and 
went  hissing  skyward,  leaving  a  trail  of  sparks 
behind.  Two  minutes  later  a  single  rocket  went 
up  from  the  fort. 

"  That's  the  last,"  observed  old  Benson. 

"  I'll  wager  that  will  set  the  Indians  and  the 
desperadoes  to  thinking,"  said  Cass. 

"  They'll  think  some  more  when  they  see  a 
camp-fire  over  Decker's  Falls,"  put  in  Bernstein. 
'  They'll  imagine  that  they  are  being  sur 
rounded/' 

"  Don't  be  too  sure,"  came  from  the  old  scout. 
l<  White  Ox  is  no  fool.  He  has  been  through  too 
much  fighting.  If  we  can  only  make  him  hold 
off  a  bit  that's  as  much  as  we  can  expect.  You 
can  bet  he'll  have  spies  up  here  in  less  than  an  hour 
from  now." 

The  march  was  now  for  Decker's  Falls,  a  dis 
tance  three  miles  to  the  westward.  Again  they 


232  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

advanced  in  Indian  file,  Bernstein  now  leading 
and  old  Benson  bringing  up  the  rear. 

A  mile  had  been  covered,  when  the  regular  in 
front  called  a  halt. 

"  A  small  camp  is  ahead,"  he  said.  "  There, 
through  the  trees." 

Without  delay  old  Benson  went  forward  to  in 
vestigate. 

He  found  three  desperadoes  talking  earnestly 
among  themselves,  while  warming  some  coffee 
over  a  small  fire. 

Listening  to  their  talk  he  learned  that  they  had 
been  out  on  the  trails  leading  to  Fort  Prescott,  and 
had  come  in  with  the  news  that  no  re-enforce 
ments  for  Fort  Carson  were  within  forty  miles  of 
the  latter  place. 

"  Gilroy  and  White  Ox  will  be  glad  to  hear  our 
news,"  said  one  of  the  crowd.  "  They've  been 
afraid  all  along  Colonel  Fairfield  had  sent  out  for 
aid." 

Not  stopping  to  hear  anything  further,  old  Ben 
son  crawled  back  to  the  place  where  he  had  left 
the  others. 

"  We  must  capture  those  men,  dead  or  alive," 
he  said.  "  If  they  carry  their  news  to  the  enemy 
there  will  be  another  attack  on  the  fort  within  an 
hour." 

Leaving  the  drum,  bugle,  and  remaining  rockets 


SIGNALS  IN   THE  DARK.  *33 

in  a  safe  place,  our  friends  advanced  until  all  could 
see  the  three  desperadoes  quite  plainly. 

One  of  the  fellows  was  unknown  to  Joe,  but  the 
others  were  Gus  Fetter  and  Nat  Potts. 

The  desperadoes  had  placed  their  rifles  against 
a  tree,  and  old  Benson  motioned  to  the  boys  to 
secure  the  weapons. 

As  Joe  grabbed  up  two  of  the  firearms  and 
Darry  the  third,  the  desperadoes  leaped  to  their 
feet  in  alarm. 

"  Hands  up !  "  sang  out  old  Benson.  "  Hands 
up,  or  you  are  all  dead  men !  " 

The  scout's  rifle  was  raised,  and  so  were  the 
weapons  of  Cass  and  Bernstein,  and  the  desper 
adoes  found  themselves  at  a  disadvantage. 

Yet  Fetter  was  game,  and  he  quickly  reached 
for  a  pistol  hanging  in  his  belt. 

But  the  movement,  quick  as  it  was,  was  not 
quick  enough  for  Bernstein,  and  as  the  regular's 
rifle  rang  out  Fetter  fell  headlong  across  the  camp- 
fire. 

"  Do  you  surrender?  "  asked  old  Benson. 

'''  Yes,"  came  from  Potts,  sulkily,  and  his  com 
panion  said  the  same.  In  the  meantime  Fetter 
had  rolled  from  the  camp-fire  and  was  breathing 
his  last  at  Potts'  feet. 

The  sight  was  a  thrilling  one,  and  caused  Joe 
and  Darry  to  shudder. 


234  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

"  Can't  I  do  something  for  that  poor  wretch?  '* 
asked  Joe,  of  Benson,  but  before  the  old  scout 
could  answer  Fetter  breathed  his  last. 

In  a  few  minutes  more  Potts  was  made  a  close 
prisoner. 

While  he  was  being  tied  up,  the  third  man  made 
a  quick  leap  into  the  woods. 

"  After  him !  "  cried  Benson,  and  Cass  and 
Bernstein  did  as  commanded.  Soon  the  desper 
ado  and  the  two  regulars  were  out  of  sight  and 
hearing. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

BURNING  OF    THE    STOCKADE. 

"  WHAT  will  you  do  with  him?  "  asked  Joe  of 
Benson,  as  he  pointed  to  Nat  Potts. 

"  Don't  be  hard  on  me,"  pleaded  Potts.  "  I 
meant  you  no  harm." 

'  You  ought  to  be  hung,"  grunted  the  old  scout. 
'  You  aint  fit  to  live  and  you  know  it,  Potts.  You 
could  make  an  honest  living  if  you  wanted  to,  but 
you  would  rather  cheat  and  steal." 

"  It  was  Matt  Gilroy  who  got  me  into  this,"  an 
swered  Potts.  "  He— 

"  Don't  put  it  off  on  to  somebody  else,  Potts !  " 
cried  the  old  scout  wrathfully.  "  If  you  aint  got 
backbone  enough  to  be  honest,  it's  your  own 
fault." 

"  Will  you  let  me  go,  if  I  promise  to  leave  this 
Territory  ?  "  asked  Potts  eagerly. 

"  No,  sirree!"  was  Benson's  answer.  "You 
shall  suffer  the  full  extent  of  the  law,  and  don't 
you  forget  it !  " 

While  waiting  for  the  return  of  Cass  and  Bern 
stein,  the  old  scout  searched  Potts  and  the  dead 

835 


236  BOYS  OF    THE  FORT. 

body  of  Fetter,  taking  away  all  their  weapons  and 
some  papers  which  Potts  carried. 

These  papers  showed  how  deep-laid  was  the 
plot  which  the  desperadoes  had  formed  to  gain 
possession  of  the  money  stored  at  Fort  Carson, 
and  how  they  had  duped  the  Indians  under  White 
Ox  and  other  chiefs  to  assist  them. 

At  last  Cass  and  Bernstein  came  back,  all  out 
of  breath  with  running. 

"  Did  he  get  away?"  questioned  Benson 
quickly. 

"  He  did  and  he  didn't,"  answered  Cass.  "  He 
ran  up  Cedar  Cliff,  and  seeing  we  were  after  him 
he  tried  to  jump  to  the  other  side  of  the  canyon. 
But  he  missed  his  footing  in  the  dark,  and  went 
down,  and  that's  the  last  we  seen  or  heard  of  him." 

"  And  that's  the  last  anybody  will  see  or  hear 
of  him,"  a'nswered  the  old  scout.  "  That  canyon 
?.s  three  hundred  feet  deep,  and  nothing  but  sharp 
rocks,  sides  and  bottom.  He's  done  for." 

The  march  onward  was  now  resumed,  the  old 
scout  forcing  Potts  to  walk  between  himself  and 
the  boys,  with  his  hands  tied  tightly  behind  him. 

"  If  you  make  any  noise  it  will  cost  you  your 
life,"  said  Benson  to  the  prisoner,  and  thereupon 
Potts  became  perfectly  mute.  To  tell  the  truth 
the  desperado  was  thoroughly  downcast,  and  his 
face  was  filled  with  despair. 


BURNING  OF   THE   STOCKADE.  237 

They  calculated  that  it  was  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  the  heights  above  Decker's  Falls 
was  gained,  a  wild  spot,  from  which  old  Benson 
had  often  viewed  the  fort,  miles  below,  in  the 
valley. 

The  driest  possible  brush  was  gathered,  and  on 
this  were  heaped  several  good-sized  limbs,  that  the 
fire  might  burn  an  hour  or  two.  Quarter  of  a 
mile  away  another  similar  fire  was  kindled,  and 
at  this  spot  the  boys  set  off  all  but  one  of  their  re 
maining  rockets. 

"  There  is  the  answer  from  the  fort !  "  said  Joe, 
as  two  rockets  flared  up  in  the  dim  distance. 
"Anyway,  Will  knows  we  have  gotten  this 
far." 

"  But  he  doesn't  know  of  the  adventure  we 
have  had  on  the  way,"  said  Darry. 

As  soon  as  the  fires  were  well  under  way  old 
Benson  began  to  lead  the  way  down  the  mountain 
side  toward  a  stretch  of  timber  running  within 
half  a  mile  of  the  fort. 

While  they  were  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  a 
distant  firing  broke  upon  their  ears. 

"  Is  that  from  the  fort?  "  asked  Joe  quickly. 

"  Reckon  it  is,  lad,"  replied  the  old  scout. 

'  Then  our  signals  haven't  done  any  good." 

"  Perhaps  they  have.  But  it  may  be  that  others 
have  been  out  spying,  and  they  have  brought  in 


238  BOYS   OF    THE  FORT. 

the  same  report  that  Potts  and  his  crowd  were 
carrying." 

As  they  advanced  the  firing  died  away  for  half 
an  hour,  but  then  it  was  renewed  with  vigor. 

Coming  to  another  hilltop,  they  could  see  the 
flashes  of  fire  as  the  rifles  and  cannon  were  dis 
charged. 

The  Indians  and  desperadoes  had  approached 
Fort  Carson  in  the  darkness,  hoping  to  catch  those 
inside  napping. 

But  the  regulars  had  opened  the  firing,  and  two 
Indians  were  killed  at  the  very  outset. 

The  red  men  had  brought  forward  a  large  quan 
tity  of  brush,  and  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  they 
heaped  this  against  the  wooden  stockade. 

When  Joe  and  the  others  who  were  with  him 
gained  the  plains  surrounding  the  stronghold  they 
saw  that  the  brush  was  burning  at  a  lively  rate. 

'  They  are  firing  the  fort ! "  cried  Darry. 
"  Heaven  have  mercy  on  those  inside!  " 

"  I  see  nothing  of  Indians  or  desperadoes/'  said 
Joe.  "  Where  have  they  gone,  Benson  ?  " 

"  Reckon  they  didn't  like  those  last  signals,"  an 
swered  the  old  scout. 

From  a  distance  they  watched  the  burning  of 
the  brush  with  interest.  Here  and  there  they  saw 
the  stockade  take  fire,  and  then  saw  a  blaze  on  the 
stable  within  the  fort  yard. 


BURNING  OF   THE   STOCKADE.  239 

"  The  fire  has  reached  inside !  "  groaned  Joe. 
'  The  place  is  doomed !  " 

44  Come  on!  There  is  no  use  of  our  staying 
here  longer !  "  cried  Benson,  and  led  the  way 
across  the  plain,  now  lit  up  by  the  conflagration 
beyond.  He  forced  Potts  with  him. 

Suddenly  several  shots  rang  out,  and  Joe  felt  a 
bullet  graze  his  hand.  Then  he  saw  Cass  pitch 
forward  on  his  face,  and  heard  Potts  give  a  yell  of 
mortal  agony. 

"Poor  Cass,  he's  a  goner!"  muttered  Bern 
stein.  "  And  the  desperado  is  dead,  too." 

No  more  was  said,  for  all  felt  they  must  run  as 
never  before,  if  they  would  save  themselves. 
Soon  the  gully  was  reached,  and  they  dropped  to 
shelter.  But  no  more  shots  followed,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  more  they  were  close  to  the  burning 
stockade. 

"  Friends!"  shouted  Benson,  to  a  guard. 
"  Don't  shoot !  Come  out  here  and  put  out  the 
fire!" 

"  Is  that  you  ?  "  came  from  Captain  Moore,  in 
the  semi-darkness.  "  Are  Joe  and  Darry  safe?  " 

'  Yes,"  came  from  the  boys. 

There  was  no  time  to  say  more,  for  already  the 
soldiers  were  forming  a  bucket  brigade,  carrying 
water  with  which  to  put  out  the  flames.  Some 
had  long  poles  with  hooks,  and  with  these  they 


240  BOYS  OF   THE   FORT. 

dragged  a  large  part  of  the  burning  brush  into 
the  ditch. 

All  this  while  some  of  the  regulars  remained 
on  guard,  and  occasionally  a  shot  rang  out,  an 
swered  by  another  from  a  great  distance. 

'  They  have  surely  withdrawn,"  said  the  young 
captain.  "  Benson,  the  trick  worked  after  all." 

'  That's  right,  captain.  But  it  won't  work 
many  hours,  you  can  depend  upon  that." 

"  If  it  only  makes  them  hold  off  until  morning  I 
shall  be  satisfied,"  concluded  Captain  Moore. 

By  the  exertion  of  the  soldiers  the  fire  was  kept 
from  communicating  with  any  of  the  buildings 
but  the  stable,  and  of  this  structure  only  a  corner 
of  the  roof  suffered.  But  the  stockade  was 
greatly  damaged,  and  by  the  time  the  last  spark 
was  out  it  was  seen  that  it  had  sustained  three 
openings  each  eight  to  twelve  feet  long. 

"  We'll  have  to  repair  these,"  said  Captain 
Moore;  and,  tired  though  the  workers  were,  he 
made  them  haul  fresh  timbers  from  the  woodpile 
and  also  tear  up  part  of  the  barn  floor,  that  the 
stockade  might  present  a  whole  front  to  the  enemy 
once  more. 

The  fighting  had  greatly  agitated  the  women 
in  the  fort,  and  nobody  had  slept  for  two  nights. 
Yet  even  now,  with  the  fire  out  and  silence  brood 
ing  everywhere,  nobody  thought  of  going  to  bed. 


BURNING  OF   THE   STOCKADE.  241 

All  felt  that  this  was  but  the  lull  before  the  greater 
storm. 

If  only  the  relief  would  come!  Such  was  the 
thought  of  everyone  but  Drossdell,  who  still  re 
mained  in  the  guardhouse,  heavily  chained,  hands 
and  feet.  Drossdell  was  deeply  downcast,  "and 
with  good  reason. 

At  last  came  the  welcome  signs  of  dawn  in  the 
east,  and  then  a  few  of  the  soldiers,  who  could 
stand  the  strain  no  longer,  threw  themselves  down 
to  sleep.  The  others,  pale  and  haggard,  sat 
around  in  little  groups  wondering  what  was  going 
to  happen  next.  To  each  was  served  extra-strong 
coffee  and  the  best  rations  the  fort  afforded. 

"  It  cannot  last  much  longer,"  said  Captain 
Moore,  trying  to  cheer  them  up.  "  Relief  must 
come  sooner  or  later." 

He  had  now  but  a  pitiful  twenty-eight  men  left, 
including  old  Benson  and  Joe  and  Darry. 
Twenty-eight!  What  could  such  a  number  do 
against  the  attack  of  two  or  three  hundred  des 
peradoes  and  Indians?  The  situation  was  cer 
tainly  one  to  make  the  stoutest  heart  quail. 

"  It  was  too  bad  you  came  out  here  on  a  vaca 
tion,"  said  the  captain  sadly,  to  his  brother  and  his 
cousin.  "  Perhaps  you'll  never  see  home  again." 

"Oh,  Will,  do  you  really  think  it's  so  bad?" 
came  from  Darry. 


24*  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

"  It  is  hard  to  tell  what  I  think,  Darry.  I  know 
we  are  in  a  mighty  tight  box." 

"  Let  us  hope  for  the  best,"  said  Joe.  "  Leeson 
must  be  doing  something." 

"  If  he  wasn't  caught  and  shot  down,  Joe." 

"  That  is  true,"  and  now  Joe  gave  a  long  sigh 
that  meant  a  good  deal. 

"  There  is  but  one  thing  in  our  favor  now,  this 
daylight.  But  if  no  relief  reaches  us  by  sun 
down "  The  captain  did  not  finish,  but 

shook  his  head. 

A  moment  later  one  of  the  guards  called  down 
that  he  could  see  some  Indians  to  the  northwest  of 
the  fort. 

A  glass  was  brought  into  play,  and  by  this  a 
party  of  seventy-five  red  men  could  be  made  out 
marching  directly  for  the  fort.  Behind  the  red 
men  came  a  dozen  or  fifteen  whites. 

Hardly  had  this  discovery  been  made  when  an 
other  body  of  Indians  and  whites  were  seen 
marching  upon  the  fort  from  the  south. 

"  We  are  to  suffer  a  double  attack  now !  "  was 
Captain  Moore's  comment.  "  Heaven  help  us 
and  bring  us  through  it  in  safety!  " 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

RELIEF    AT    LAST CONCLUSION. 

THE  attack  did  not  come  until  half  an  hour 
later,  and  during  the  time  of  waiting  the  nerves  of 
the  boys  were  strained  to  the  utmost.  The  seri 
ousness  of  the  situation  was  depicted  upon  the 
faces  of  all  the  soldiers,  who  felt  that  the  coming 
contest  must  decide  whether  or  not  the  fort  was  to 
stand. 

The  firing  began  on  the  part  of  the  Indians  and 
desperadoes,  who  advanced  upon  the  stronghold 
from  four  points  of  the  compass  at  once.  The 
enemy  had  learned  the  folly  of  massing  their 
force,  and  Indians  and  whites  came  on  in  a  wide 
open  skirmish  line. 

The  soldiers  within  the  stockade  fired  upon  the 
advancing  foe  as  best  they  could.  Yet  by  the 
time  red  men  and  desperadoes  were  within  reach 
of  the  stockade  only  three  of  the  foe  had  fallen. 

As  before,  some  of  the  Indians  carried  a  board 
with  strips  nailed  across  it  for  steps,  and  the  des 
peradoes  had  a  similar  contrivance.  The  two 
boards  were  placed  at  opposite  ends  of  the 

•43 


244  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

stockade,  and,  while  some  of  the  enemy  began  to 
mount  them,  others  came  rushing  on  with  a  tree 
trunk,  which  they  used  as  a  battering-ram  against 
the  stockade  gate. 

The  noise  was  now  terrific,  as  rifle  and  cannon 
shot  sounded  out,  mingled  with  the  warwhoops 
of  die  Indians  and  the  groans  and  shrieks  of  the 
wounded  and  dying. 

As  for  Joe  and  Darry,  the  first  shock  over,  each 
felt  as  if  he  was  in  a  dream — as  if  this  terrible 
sight  presented  to  their  gaze  could  not  be  true, 
They  shot  off  their  rifles  mechanically,  yet  when 
it  was  all  over  Joe  remembered  how  he  had  sent 
one  redskin  tumbling  back  into  the  ditch,  and 
Darry  could  tell  of  a  desperado  who  had  dropped 
his  gun  because  of  a  shot  through  the  shoulder. 

"Fight  to  the  last,  men!"  shouted  Captain 
Moore,  as  he  discharged  his  pistol  at  the  leader 
of  the  desperadoes.  Gilroy  had  hit  him  in  the 
forearm,  but  the  young  officer's  aim  was  still  more 
true,  and  Matt  Gilroy  went  down  never  to  rise 
again. 

In  the  meanwhile  old  Benson  was  having  a  ter 
rific  hand-to-hand  encounter  with  White  Ox. 
Each  had  fired  a  shot  at  the  other,  and  now  they 
closed  in,  the  Indian  chief  with  his  hunting-knife 
and  the  old  scout  with  his  clubbed  rifle. 

The  struggle  was  as  short  as  it  was  thrilling. 


RELIEF  AT  LAST— CONCLUSION;  245 

Benson  made  a  pass  which  the  Indian  chief 
dodged.  Then  White  Ox  plunged  his  knife  to 
ward  the  old  scout's  heart,  but  a  quick  turn 
made  it  catch  in  Benson's  hunting-shirt.  Down 
came  the  rifle  butt  a  second  time,  and  the  blow, 
catching  White  Ox  on  the  neck,  forced  him  to  his 
knees.  Even  then  he  struck  at  Benson's  legs,  but 
the  old  scout  leaped  over  his  head.  Then  down 
came  the  rifle  butt  once  more,  and  the  Indian  chief 
gave  a  groan  which  was  his  last. 

Fully  sixty  Indians  and  a  score  of  desperadoes 
were  now  within  the  stockade,  and  it  looked  as  if 
all  was  lost  to  our  friends.  A  part  of  the  regulars 
were  fighting  at  the  entrance  to  the  stable,  but  the 
majority  were  gathered  around  Captain  Moore  at 
the  entrance  to  the  officers'  quarters.  Behind 
these  were  the  ladies  of  the  fort  and  the  officers 
who  were  sick. 

"  Perhaps  we  had  better  surrender,"  said  Colo 
nel  Fairfield,  when  told  by  his  wife  of  the  condi 
tion  of  affairs.  "  If  we  don't '  He  could 

not  finish. 

"  Kill  the  white  soldiers !  "  was  the  cry  from  the 
Indians.  "  White  Ox  has  fallen !  They  must 
all  die !  Spare  nobody !  " 

Captain  Moore  was  now  fighting  as  never  be 
fore.  Beside  him  stood  old  Benson,  and  not  far 
away  were  Joe  and  Darry.  Each  of  the  num- 


2 46  J30YS  OF   THE  FORT. 

ber  was  wounded,  and  hardly  any  of  the  regulars 
were  better  off.  Ammunition  was  running  low. 
Still  the  horrible  din  continued,  and  the  dust  and 
smoke  were  blinding. 

But  now,  hark,  what  was  that  ?  From  a  dis 
tance  sounded  out  a  bugle  call  Then  came  a 
shot,  followed  by  another,  and  then  a  regular  vol 
ley.  Captain  Moore  started,  and  his  eyes  lit  with 
pleasure. 

"  The  relief!  "  he  shouted.  "  The  relief  from 
Fort  Prescott !  Boys,  we  are  saved !  " 

"Hurrah,  the  relief!"  was  the  shout  which 
made  the  fort  ring  from  end  to  end.  "  The  re 
lief!  We  are  saved!" 

"  Give  it  to  the  reds  and  to  the  desperadoes !  " 
came  from  old  Benson.  "  Teach  'em  the  lesson 
so  they  won't  forget  it!  Don't  let  a  skunk  of 
'em  escape!  " 

Nearer  and  nearer  came  the  shots  from  without, 
and  a  bugle  continued  to  blow  calls  to  a  detach 
ment  still  further  away.  Then  up  to  the  fort 
rode  a  troop  of  dashing  cavalry  from  Fort  Pres 
cott,  Hank  Leeson  beside  them,  and  every  horse 
covered  with  foam.  Crack!  crack!  crack!  spoke 
up  the  firearms  of  the  newcomers,  and  Indians  and 
desperadoes  fell  in  all  directions. 

"  We  must  retreat !  "  shouted  one  of  the  des 
peradoes.  "  The  game  is  up!  " 


RELIEF  AT  LAST— CONCLUSION.  247 

"  Retreat !  retreat !  "  came  from  the  others;  and 
the  red  men  took  up  the  cry.  Soon  the  enemy 
were  pouring  from  the  fort  grounds  even  more 
rapidly  than  they  had  entered. 

There  was  only  a  pitiful  handful  that  could  fol 
low  them,  the  young  captain,  Benson,  and  nine 
regulars.  But  there  was  no  need  for  even  that 
number,  for  the  blood  of  the  cavalry  was  up  and 
every  desperado  and  red  man  received  one  or 
more  shots  the  instant  he  appeared.  Soon  the 
enemy  were  flying  in  all  directions.  But  the 
cavalry  went  after  them,  and  in  the  end  all  but 
four  desperadoes  and  thirty-six  Indians  were 
killed,  the  others  being  forced  to  surrender. 

It  was  rather  a  silent  party  that  gathered  in  and 
around  the  fort  that  night.  Victory  had  come  to 
our  friends,  but  the  cost  had  been  a  heavy  one,  and 
the  hospital  ward  of  the  fort  was  filled  to  over 
flowing. 

Hank  Leeson  came  in  for  many  a  warm  hand 
shake,  and  was  made  to  tell  his  story  over  and 
over  again. 

"  It  was  a  close  shave,"  said  the  old  hunter. 
"  Twice  I  got  in  a  close  box  with  the  redskins  an* 
I  had  to  shoot  one  of  'em  down  afore  I  could  git 
away.  Thet's  wot  kept  me  so  long.  I'm  glad 
we  wasn't  an  hour  later,  fer  then  mebbe  we'd 
V  been  too  late." 


i48  BOYS  OF   THE  FORT. 

All  af  the  principal  desperadoes  were  dead  and 
the  same  can  be  said  of  the  Indians.  Among  the 
slain  was  found  the  body  of  Bicker,  and,  if  the 
truth  must  be  told,  nobody  mourned  his  loss. 

"  He  is  responsible  for  a  great  deal  of  this  suf 
fering/'  said  Captain  Moore.  "  Had  he  lived  it 
is  likely  he  would  have  been  court-martialed  and 
shot." 

Both  of  the  boys  had  been  slightly  wounded, 
yet  each  felt  happy  when  the  fighting  was  over 
and  they  were  assured  that  from  henceforth  they 
would  be  safe  to  come  and  go  as  they  pleased. 

"  It  was  like  a  regular  campaign,"  said  Darry. 
"  Joe,  we  have  become  soldiers  after  all !  " 

"That's  so,  Darry,"  replied  Joe.  "We  can 
call  ourselves,  after  this,  the  boys  of  the  fort !  " 

A  few  words  more,  and  we  will  bring  this  story 
of  fort  life  in  the  Great  Northwest  to  a  close. 

Two  weeks  after  the  events  just  narrated  Joe 
and  Darry  returned  to  their  homes,  Here  they 
were  received  with  open  arms  by  their  parents, 
who  had  heard  all  manner  of  ugly  reports  and 
who  half  expected  to  see  them  coming  back 
wounded  and  crippled  for  life.  But  the  lads  soon 
proved  that  they  were  not  so  bad  off  as  that,  and 
inside  of  a  few  months  both  were  as  well  as  ever. 

At  the  fort  an  active  campaign  was  started 


RELIEF  AT  LAST— CONCLUSION. 

under  Captain  Moore  and  the  commander  of  the 
cavalry,  and  this  resulted  in  the  rounding  up  of 
six  more  desperadoes  and  thirty  Indians.  Lieu 
tenant  Carrol  and  four  regulars  were  found  as 
prisoners  of  the  Indians  and  were  released. 

The  desperadoes  were  turned  over  to  the  civil 
courts,  and  were  dealt  with  severely,  two  being 
hung  and  the  others  being  imprisoned  for  years. 

Drossdell  was  court-martialed,  and  after  a  long- 
trial  was  sentenced  to  imprisonment  in  a  military 
prison  for  ten  years.  He  served  six  years,  after 
which  he  was  released.  To  his  credit  be  it  said, 
he  turned  over  a  new  leaf,  and  from  the  West 
went  to  Cuba,  where  he  fought  with  the  Cubans 
against  Spanish  rule.  He  was  with  the  Cubans 
at  the  fall  of  Santiago  and  died  a  few  weeks  later 
of  tropical  fever. 

As  soon  as  the  proper  medicines  could  be  ob 
tained  and  administered,  those  who  had  been 
drugged  at  the  fort  began  to  recover,  and  inside 
of  two  weeks  Colonel  Fairfield,  Captain  Lee,  and 
our  other  friends  were  around  once  more,  al 
though  rather  weak. 

The  mining  company  whose  money  had  been 
saved  was  exceedingly  thankful  to  Captain  Moore 
and  the  others  for  what  had  been  done,  and  when, 
several  years  later,  the  young  captain  left  the  regu 
lar  army,  this  company  offered  him  a  lucrative 


250  BOYS  OF  THE  FORT. 

position,  which  he  accepted  and  which  he  fills  to 
this  day. 

Old  Benson  and  Hank  Leeson  still  continue  to 
roam  the  Great  Northwest,  and  are  happy. 
Occasionally  they  receive  a  visit  from  Joe  and 
Darry,  and  are  never  more  satisfied  than  when 
they  have  the  two  young  men  with  them  on  a 
hunting  and  fishing  tour. 

"  Takes  me  back  to  years  ago,"  says  old  Ben 
son.  "  Years  ago,  when  you  were  both  green  as 
grass." 

"  Well,  we  are  not  so  green  now,"  replies  Joe, 
with  a  quiet  smile.  "  Through  bitter  experience 
we  have  learned  a  thing  or  two." 

"  Now  it  is  over  I  am  glad  I  didn't  miss  it," 
puts  in  Darry.  "  We  got  a  genuine  taste  of  sol 
dier  life,  didn't  we?  " 

"  That's  so,"  adds  Joe.  "  We  were  really  and 
truly  the  Boys  of  the  Fort." 


THE    END. 


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